What makes a Hero?
by Night Kitten
Summary: Rouge has been thinking, and realizes that when the person who taught you the most in life isn't with you you need to find them! Enter Alexandra. RougeOC! And a bit of yuri!
1. Memories

**WOOOO! My first fanfic! This is the story of a young Rouge, a misunderstood cat, and what stands and what doesn't in Hero communities. **

**Alexandra is mine, all the other Sonic characters belong the SEGA (or who ever created them)**

**(R&R please!)**

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She sat on the roof of her penthouse apartment; the only sound was the wind as it rustled past her snow white fur. She gazed at the moon through her perfectly blue eyes, her purple shadowed lids half covering them. She sat with her long elegant legs pulled up to her ample chest, the white and purple boot gleaming in the moonlight. The black membrane of her wings made a cocoon around her tanned form and the small bag of gems tied to her belt. 

Rouge's mind was calm, calmer than it had been in years. The moon seemed to soothe her from her thoughts of wealth and her fight of evil. But no matter what she did she felt like something was amiss.

Why did she steal? Why did she fight evil? What was her purpose?

Those were always the question that she left unanswered. But she knew that they all led back to the girl she'd met almost half a decade ago. Alexandra. What had the others called her? Alexandra the Thief, Alexandra the Evil, Alexandra the Dreaded. How had she introduced herself? Alex the Cat. Why had the cat even wanted to be a hero so badly? Rouge tried to remember the day they met, but she forund that she had seemed to forget that fateful day. Had the Heros been looking for recruits?

Rouge turned her head to the small door across the flat roof, as if to look back on what had happened those years back. Why had she not gone with Alex? Was it because her relationship with Knuckles would've been shot? Had she even _liked _Knuckles then? This was beginning to give her a headache. Rouge turned with catlike grace and leapt from the small ledge where she was perched, landing silently on the gravel cover ground. There was something that Alex had given her before she had disappeared back to the place she called Akloria.

As her gloved hand turned the door knob, Rouge realized that she had never put this much thought into the old cat. But she had never thought of her on a full moon either. Maybe that was it, maybe she just wanted something to occupy herself since she had been seen stealing the small sack that now hung beside the dark cat suit that covered her limber body. But whatever it was Rouge felt something she hadn't felt in a long time. Determination. But there was something else driving her, it couldn't be love, she loved Knuckles. At least she thought she did. Perhaps it was that thrill and feeling of adventure that Alex had.

As she descended the stair towards her apartment, her mind returned to the cat. How strange she had been. Not only on the inside, but on the outside. It wasn't ever day you met a dirty blonde cat with huge black bat wings. She'd said her got them from her dad, and her looks from her mam, as she pronounced mother in that odd growl of a voice. Her heels tapping on the landing, Rouge reached for the handle and drifted into her rooms. To her left was the bedroom, the large bed open to the hall that connected to the kitchen and then the hoard, as she had taken to calling her library. The pure white streets and comforters were thrown across the mattress, making the dozens of pillows invisible.

The walls were all painted white, and the occasional plant hung from the ceiling. She moved into the small but sleek kitchen, the lights from the city below shining through the window and onto the black marble counter tops. Rouge absently grabbed an apple from the bowl of fruit on the nearest counter; as she hadn't eaten yet that day, and continued into the lavish library. The room was painted completely rouge, not unlike her namesake. There were two tall cushioned armchairs with small side tables standing at the left arm. Five redwood bookshelves covered three of the walls, filled with leather bound novels and building plans for the bat's many hits. Rouge tossed the sack on her belt into the chair to her left, and moved past the bust of an old sage of some kind. Her hand fell to the bust's brow, where there was a hidden cut that was perfect for storing gems, and pulled off the round bald patch. There, within the white mass was a brown sackle no bigger than her palm.

She grasped one of the thin draw stinks around the sackle and lifted the thing out of the bust, replacing the bald patch and _flomp_ing into the unoccupied arm chair, her back resting one one arm while her legs were bent over the other. Rouge opened the velvet bag and pulled out the small sapphire inside, it gleamed in the light of the lamp to her right.

What had the cat said? 'Look at this when you need me.' Rouge thought about this for a moment. She didn't _need_ anybody, not even Knuckles. But she wanted Alexandra back; she missed the mutant's mumbled comments of Sonic and the way she would toss rum or vodka bottles into the air before mixing the perfect cocktail. Perhaps that was why the cat ran a bar in 'Akoria', the strange love of the chatter of the city and the buzz of a good pub. Rouge looked back into the sackle, only to find a small scrap of paper with a line scratched hastily onto it.

'Press to forehead for best result, regain memory if brainwashed. (Not safe for use by heros of emos)

Loves, Alex.'

_Well,_ thought the bat,_ I got nothing to lose._ With that she pressed the gem to her snowy brow, closed her eyes, and became incased in her lost memories.


	2. The Toad and The Caat

**Be warned, this chapter is what starts the romance, if it is only the main characters meeting. Please, if your don't like slash, read this and keep your trap shut if you don't like it!**

**Rouge and Sonic cast belong to Sonic Team, not me.**

**Alexandra is mine and her's, we're not sure who created whom...**

Rouge felt adrift in a sea of clouds. She seemed to fall slowly through blurred visions from her past. She saw herself grow younger and watched as each of her deeds past by her in only seconds. Years melted by, as she fell back through the things she had willed herself to forget. As she fell she felt her form grow smaller, and was helpless as she reverted back to her seventeen year old self.

With what seemed like a smack in the head, she regained consciousness. She was seventeen again, her white hair draping over her eyes in unruly cowlicks. Her legs were covered by second hand black combat boots, her hands hidden behind black cotton gloves with no fingers. She looked down at herself, to find she wore a shapeless black shirt and similar baggy black pants. Her wings were much smaller than she was used to, and when she looked around, her heart leapt into her throat.

There before her was what may, in a past life, have been an apartment. There was a small gray and rather unsightly table. Beside it was a hard wooden chair, and to the chair's left was a white refrigerator, with a slip of yellow paper stuck to it with a large rose shaped magnet. Around her was what seemed to be a bedroom, the small bed covered only with thin white sheets. A single pillow sat at the head of the bed, just below hard iron bars that made up the frame.

There was a door off to the right of the 'bedroom', on which hung what looked like a fast-food uniform. Rouge raised an eyebrow, she hadn't worked at Mc Donald's, had she? She looked at the small gold painted name tag, 'Rouge'. She staggered back in disbelief, this wasn't her life! It couldn't be! She would never have let herself be this! As she backed away, Rouge bumped into something large, muscular and (as it seemed) drooling. Her eyes narrowed and she leapt into the air, slamming her boot into the Bear-thing's chin. The thing grunted and fell backwards onto the hard wood floor, his girth taking up most of the room.

She looked down at the thing, before realizing it was her old roommate. Rouge sighed to herself and stepped around the bear, he was knocked out, yes, but he was tough. She'd give him a few hours to wake up before she started worrying, he was a tough guy, and he could take.

Looking now desperately to the yellow slip on the fridge, Rouge plucked it from under the tacky rose magnet, and scanned it with her glossy blue eyes. It was just what she was hoping for, a recruiting form for the Sonic Heroes Team. But they had never recruited, hadn't it been that you just showed up and they let you in? Still, she would get in and tell the Mc Donald's people to kick her ass! Damned greasy bastards, she'd show them. Moving into the kitchen, she glanced at the calendar on the wall, all the day before one that was circled with red marker were crossed out.

_Timing,_ she thought absently, scanning the recruiting form. It was scheduled for what could only be that day, noon to 5:00 pm. Her eyes moving to where she was _actually _supposed to go, Rouge raised an eyebrow at the address. '598, New Jets Ave., Station Square.' That old place had been a dump, and nowhere near fit for Heroes. Looking around for a clock, she found an old clock, reading 4:30.

"Shit!"

Rouge gripped the notice, jumped over her roomie's knocked out form, and threw open the door. She bolted down the narrow staircase, pushing aside a young couple, and dashed out the door before the two knew what had hit them. Coming into the mid-afternoon air, Rouge glanced around for the street sign, finding it behind a tall oak tree. '8th and Maple'. Damn this city and its idiotic street names! But she knew where she was, and thus she ran to the curb and whistled shrilly for a cab.

As the blocky yellow car pulled up before her, Rouge leapt in and called to the driver, "598, New Jets, and step on it!"

The driver stepped on it, as much as law provided, and so Rouge sat in the cab watching the people walk by as they instantly got caught in traffic.

"Can't you use the back roads?!" she raved.

"No," the cabbie was an old man, who spoke with a lisp as many of his teeth weren't there. "I have to drive just like everyone else. No matter the place or time."

"Fine I'll walk!" With that she burst out of the cab, and charged through the street, weaving in and out between cars. She ran down Long field Street, through Iron Heart Alley, and down to New Jets Plaza. As the backwater square came into view, Rouge sprinted the last length to the worn out warehouse with the plaque that read 598. She ran up, pushed the mob of geeks in costumes, and burst into the main building, her eyes falling on an all to welcome sight.

There, shaking hands with a large Toad-woman was a tall Tabby Cat, her fur the color of sand. She had a long thick coat of hair, and an overcoat that reached her steel-toed boots. Two long ears sprang from her head, and from the center of her brow grew three pointed cowlicks. The Cat, although very, well Cat-like, had too broad shoulders and a face that wasn't the Cat-ish image of beauty. In fact the only real things interesting about this other-wise unattractive beast were her golden-green eyes, and the grand glossy bat wings that grew from her long back.

That was Alex, everything about her, the tall stance, the flicking tail, and most of all, the fanged smile. Rouge, unable to contain herself, leapt into the air, and shot at the Caat (the phrase Alex used because she was both a Cat and a Bat.) Landing on the taller woman, the snowy white Bat hugged her, and Alex gave out a cry of middle horror. Trying to pry the stranger off her, Alexandra called to the grinning Bat,

"Who _are_ you?!"

Rouge looked up at her, and saw that Alex didn't see it was her. Releasing the stunned Caat, she stepped back and smiled, as kindly as she could.

"Alex it's me, Rouge?"

The Caat cocked her head.

"Rouge? Isn't that a makeup? Why are you named after eye shadow? Or is it that Moulin Rouge place? Why are you named after a prostitute barn? You don't look like a prostitute. I mean, sure you're gorgeous, but you look too hard to be a street walker."

Everyone was looking at them now, and the Toad looked disapproving. Rouge wanted to smack Alex upside the head, but she couldn't bring herself to strike the Caat, the mutant had always been overly inquisitive. Thinking on her feet, Rouge rattled off something she could just remember;

"You know _Rouge_, we met a while back, in the Silver Knight's Square?"

Now Alex kicked back on her heels, and threw back her head, laughing loudly and fully.

"Oh! I'm sorry Rougie! I just haven't seen you in ages! Man, and here I thought you were just some strange fan-girl! Well, if that's that I'll leave you to your interview then! See ya Kittens!" and with that she tipped her non-existent hat, and strode out the door, chuckling to herself. Rouge looked after her, it had worked, she had dodged a bullet!

"Well," the voice was a growl and very throaty, the Toad. Rouge spun around instantly, and tried not to shiver as the Toad leaned down at her. "Suppose you're next then." With that the plaid-clad Toad turned around and moved her girth through the too small doorway into the interviewing room, beckoning Rouge after her. Fighting the urge to walk in, lock the door, and run the ugly Toad through, the Bat walked gracefully into the small backroom.

It was a bland room, gray walls, a wooden desk, two chairs and a window. The Toad was already seated in one of the chairs, and had set her legs up on the desk, open enough so that (should some unfortunate soul stand) they would see a sight not meant for mortal eyes. Rouge seated herself immediately, and tried to look only at the ugly warty face, and not the horrible slimy legs.

"State your name for the record."

"Rouge the Bat."

"Your _full_ name."

"_Rouge the Bat_."

The Toad glared up at her from her ugly pink notepad.

"I never knew my parents, happy?"

The Toad mumbled to herself disapprovingly, Rouge bit her lip, and crossed her legs one way, then the other. Running the hideous thing through sounded pretty good right then.

"Date of birth?"

"February 26th, 1989."

"Species?"

Rouge rolled her eyes; "Bat."

"Home?"

"Now that's not necessary."

"_Home?_"

"8th and Maple, apartment 250."

"Sexuality?"

"What?!"

"Just answer the question!"

"No way in hell! That has nothing to do with being a Hero! Now shut your oversized face and close your fat legs! The smell's driving me insane!"

Now the Toad stood and so did Rouge, who now brandished the wooden chair. But just as the Bat was going to smash the seat on the Toad's head, the door burst open and Alex stood there looking at the scene. The Bat froze, the chair held over her head, in fear and excitement.

"Rougie! I'm disappointed with you, attacking the recruiter like this!" with that she strode into the room, limping slightly, and took the chair from Rouge. From her strange movements, the Bat though that perhaps she had just been fighting, until she saw that Alex was now walking with a long black cane. The handle was carved into the form of a horned serpent, and the Caat was now leaning heavily on it. She turned to the Toad, and bowed her head, saying;

"Please excuse Ms. Rouge's actions. You see, she stays with me for most of the time, if my leg should act up, and lately I've been a bit too…" she seemed to almost search for the right words, "Demanding. But all Rouge really wants is to become a Hero, so she's been training non-stop. But her training plus looking after me, well I feel it's been taxing on her. So please, she's just having a hard time, don't blame her for it."

The Toad glared at Alex now, and was about retort, when the Caat countered instantly;

"Still, if you think it would be best to keep Rouge from becoming a Hero, than take my name off the roster as well. For you see, I would feel responsible for what Rouge had done, and thus I should blamed as well."

Now the Toad looked horror-struck, and Rouge got the feeling that Alex knew that it would happen. Glaring at them both, the Toad nodded slightly and gestured to the door.

"You will be told of passing or failing the interview, now go and wait at least a month for the results."

Alex moved to stand at the doorway, and did not move into the main building until Rouge had passed her.

"Next!"

That was the only sound as the geeks looked after the couple of Animals depart from the warehouse. Rouge, turning up in direction of Maple Street, was pulled back as Alex hauled her elbow and the rest of her towards the eastern district. She couldn't make out the Caat's face behind her massive wings, but she knew full well that she didn't want to. But instead of going along with the kidnapping, Rouge dug her heels into the dirt, and was able to stop the Caat from leading her any further.

"What the hell are you doing?!" It was best to act as surprised as possible, such tricks would come in useful.

"I could ask you the same thing," Axle's voice was heavy, and as she turned, Rouge saw that her eyes were far darker than she ever remembered them being. "Why?"

"What?" it was the only word that came to Rouge's lips, and when Axle breathed a sigh, she saw that something had gone terribly wrong.

"Why do you know me? Why are you here? And why the bloody hell do I recognize you?!"

"If I told you, you wouldn't believe me," Rouge felt her gut twist at the thought that she had failed in her attempt to remember a lost friend.

"Then you don't know Alexandra Elbuscador Debellezza!" The Caat looked at her with as strange inner-sight, and Rouge felt her spirit left.

"Well I won't ell you here, not in the middle of the street," The Bat said firmly. She could have sworn she saw the ghost of a smile on Alex's face, before the Caat grabbed her elbow again.

"Then you'll come with me to the Station, and tell me there," Rouge's mind whirled as she tried to remember any stations in the past.

"You mean the abandoned Sea-View Station?" It had been deserted for nearly a decade but no one dared to tear it down, it was holding up good property of the river's bank.

"So that's what it's called, then yes, to Sea-View Station," Alex said, pulling Rouge towards the slums along the River.

Something deep down in Rouge's gut told her that things would be alright, and so she followed Alex, keeping pace despite the Caat's longer legs. Alex didn't so much as glance at Rouge, but that wasn't a pressing matter, because the Bat was grappling with the question of what she would need to do next.

If Alex didn't believe her story, there was a good chance her mission would be a failure, but if she did believe it, then the question of if she was following what had really happened was still left unanswered.

After nearly twenty of awkward silence and trudging, the Caat released Rouge and the Bat looked up at the remains of the old train station.

Most of the building still stood, the only thing missing was the right entrance, which had been flooded and demolished after the hurricane that had put the station out of use. The rest of the building had turned a light golden color and the sign on the front was missing many of it's gold painted letters. There were tall windows on the front and standing sides, and a few holes here and there.

The doors were open to the elements and the dome like roof had been rusting in the rain, but there was a certain grandeur that the building seemed to keep all to itself. As Rouge took in the sight, she noted that Alex was watching her carefully, and she spoke first,

"You won't get rib of me this easily,"

"Nor will you," And with that, Alex ascended the yellowed stone steps, and waited at the doors until Rouge followed.

The sight of the station's insides was amazing. Far above, there was painted a map of the night's sky, and each constellation of stars and their movements. In the center of the entrance hall there was a great old chandelier, with many crystals still gleaming in the sunlight that poured in through the windows. Before them, there were two stairways that led to the luggage pick up, and to the left there were signs of Alex's encampment.

There was an old sofa in a sunlit spot and a stuffed bookshelf across from it, a table with chairs not far from that. A dresser and bed were in the far corners of the room, and it seemed that all of the furniture had been well loved.

Alex moved over toward her camp, tossing her overcoat aside and sitting at the table, her feet kicked up on the wooden surface. Rouge joined her, sitting and leaning back in her chair a bit uncharacteristically. They avoided each other's eyes for a moment, until Alex sat up and started from the top,

"So you know me from a place that no one on _this planet_ has ever heard of, and you seem familiar to me but I can't remember from where,"

"I lied back in the Plaza,"

"That make two of us,"

"And if you want to know what happened you'll have to let me speak," Rouge purred, and the first hint of Alex showed under her mask of stony business demeanor.

"All right, but I'm prone to act against the rules,"

_I'll say,_

"All right, but you have to listen to me very carefully." Rouge breathed a sigh, and tried to arrange her thoughts, the process took mere seconds. "This isn't real, at least not for me. It's only my memories, replayed like a song on an old record."

"But if this is your memory, haven't you already acted against the flow of time? You knew me, but if that was supposed to be our first meeting you should've just bumped into me," Now Rouge realized what had made the Caat stand out, besides her rebellious demeanor. That sharp mind, so able to put all the pieces of the puzzle together within a minute of gaining the facts.

"I was wondering that, and I think that this isn't necessarily pure memory, more like a paraphrasing of what happened. If that is what this is, then I'm free to go against the flow of time, but still not alter the past."

Alex raised her invisible brows, but didn't speak.

"But the thing that keeps me here is a gem you gave me, about two hours before we parted ways."

Now the Caat's eyes widened, and she stood. Before Rouge could continue, Alex had raced to the bookshelf and pulled out an aged tome. She dashed back to the table, slammed the book down with a great thump and was flipping through the pages murmuring to herself. The words were far from English, and didn't seem to be like any language Rouge had ever heard.

Finally, she found her page and hefted the book up for the Bat to see. There, on the yellowed page, was a faded illustration of a thin gem not unlike the one Rouge still held to her forehead.

"Is this what I gave you?!" her voice was only a whisper, but was full of desperation and curiosity.

"Yup, that's it," Rouge said casually. Alex slammed the book back down, rambling again in her language and grinning wildly. She looked up at Rouge and spoke so quickly that the Bat didn't know if it was English or not. "Come again?"

"It's called a remembrance charm, and it allows that user to recall the forgotten, but alter it at the same time!"

"So I've changed the flow of time?"

"No, actually. It was invented in Akloria by an elderly man who had lived a life of

regret. It says that on the eve before his death he completed the gem after seven years of restless work, and was the first to alter his own memory. But what he didn't realize that he wasn't truly changing anything, so when he died the next night he never knew that it was merely a mind game, and not pure magic!" Alex was clearly much deeper into this than Rouge had expected.

"So," the Caat sat with a very self certain aura, "What else do you remember?"

"Well, it's hazy, but mostly it narrows down to meeting you, Halloween in a pub

and red lenses."

"Nothing else? No? Lotto numbers? Credit card numbers? Exploding heads?

Booze?! Oh thank the Powers!" Rouge had nodded at the mention of alcohol.

It was later that night before Rouge left the old station, covered in Alex's spare overcoat. They spoken of other things after the mystery of the memories had been settled. Mostly, it was a back-and-forth about their future co-workers, as Rouge was sure they both be selected for the Heroes Team. Alex showed little concern towards Sonic, but seemed very curious about Tails and Amy for some reason. The Bat could only guess, not she suspected that the Caat had very little interest in men as a gender. But Tails was strange to her, for she hadn't expected an eight-year-old to be going on dangerous missions.

They had agreed not to meet again until the month's wait was over, and then they would ask more about each other.

Frankly Rouge was all too ready to get home, for the Station wasn't heated and winter was coming on fast. And if her leaving meant that she would have to wait a month, that was all right with her.

**I don't like that Rouge was actting so out of character. But this is in the past, so she'll adjust by the end. Please, reveiw and be gentle, I'm only thirteen and this is my first fanfic here! **


	3. First Impression

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**Well here it is, chapter three! I really think I did better with Rouge here, 'cuz she's more of the temptress that we all know! Be warned though, if you're one of those Sonic loving, cannon seeking, Amy** **huggers, close your eyes and beat your head repeatedly before reading this.**

**If you're open minded and like different back-stories for these characters, feel free to enjoy the little spit-fire that is Alexandra the Caat:D**

**I don't own the Sonic Team, the guys what made 'em do. I own _Professfor_ Warren G. Hemaled and miss Alex. **

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Rouge had never remembered it being so cold in September, and certainly not in Station Square. But before she knew it, the first frost had come, along with the promise of another meeting with Alex. 

The letter of her new internship had come three days before the first meeting was scheduled, and for the next 72 hours Rouge found herself wondering around the city. With Alex's overcoat keeping male attention away, the Bat was free to go where she pleased and to scope out any of her future co-workers. In one instance, she stumbled upon Tails, who seemed to be nervously sitting on his front stoop, waiting for his own letter to arrive. She caught a glance of Amy, probably chasing after Sonic, as she was headed to the upper class section of town.

Other then that, she was very much in solitude. Her roomie had needed to be taken to hospital, the bump on his head leading to the waffle-ironing his hand. And with Alex determined not to see her, Rouge felt it best not to try finding the Caat. But in her solitude, and with the knowledge of her talent in the thieving arts, Rouge found that her income was rising daily.

So, with her drab wardrobe finally updated, she was all too ready to enter the Hero's headquarters on the 28th.

The letter said to be there at noon, thusly Rouge arrived at two.

As she stood before the gliding glass doors, she could make out the others that had made it through the auditions. There were four Squirrels, each adorn in orange spandex. An older Bat stood at the help desk, his wings large and grayed at the edges. She saw an Ox seated in three chairs, and a Python coiled in the corner. And standing proudly in the opposite corner, was Falcon, his wing and feathers glowing crimson in the sharp light.

Rouge entered the room self confidently, know she could best everyone in the room. No one looked twice at her, that is until she took off Alex's coat and hung it on one of the pegs on the wall. With her slim formed colored glowing white and deep lavender, she moved elegantly to the help desk just as the older black Bat sat awkwardly next to the Ox.

"Hello, I'm Rouge the Bat, and I'm here for the Heroes auditions," it was wonderful to speak normally, her voice nice and smooth as she spoke to the man behind the desk.

"Uhh… Oh yes! Here's your name one the roster! Please, take a seat and we'll call you up to sign the necessary forms!" his voice was loud and straining to keep control. Rouge smiled to herself as she sat softly beside the old Bat.

Not five minutes later, the glass doors spun fast around and a taller brown figure came striding in. Her overcoat flying off dramatically and hanging itself on the wall, and her cane rapping thrice loudly on the ground, Alex strode up to the help desk man and politely asked where was to go.

With a rather frightened look he told her, and she sat beside Rouge. Everyone was looking at her as she plopped down, her cane balanced on her shoulder, and began to flip through the magazine next to her.

The two didn't speak for the three hours they sat there with the old Bat, waiting as everyone else disappeared into either the door to the right or left of the desk.

With the sky outside darkening fast, Alex was the first to stand and scream;

"What the bloody hell is going on here?! We've been for three hours and not one person has said word to any of us!"

"I'm sorry, but the Heroes must be busy,"

"You're shitting me! It's been two hours since the last guy went in there! If you had wanted to keep us Bats out of you're little club then you should've said something on the form!"

Suddenly the door to the left opened, and the short blue Hedgehog stepped out. He wore a red jacket and blue jeans, and looked about as dim as ever, his large eyes extremely very dull.

"What's all the hubbub?" Sonic asked before really looking at the scene. "Eww, what did the cat drag in?" he asked in a rudely joking manner, looking Alex up and down.

The Caat, her sharp white teeth glaring in the light, took one stride towards him, and punched him hard in the face. Sonic hit the ground hard, and Alex snarled down at him, before grabbing his shoulders and hauling him back, to his feet, bloody face and all.

The older Bat was terrified this, and he held the arm of his chair in a strained hand. Rouge, while not surprised, was still shaken, having noted that Knuckles and the young Tails were both watching from the doorway.

"Why the bloody hell haven't we been interviewed?!" Alex demanded, shaking her victim with each word.

"Becoos ju dec peopoo," Sonic tried to speak through a mouth full of blood. He looked up at her with his one good eye, and pulled away from her, brushing off his shoulders as he tried to regain his long-gone composure. Alex made to hit him again, her shoulders advancing before the rest of her, and Sonic flinched, hiding his face behind his hands.

"Don't _try_ to be fresh with me boy! Now why the fuck haven't you interview us?!" Rouge found that Knuckles had covered Tails's ears when Alex spoke.

"Because you go around decking people!" the Hero replied indignantly. Alex seemed to growl at him, her eyes furious.

"No, _I_ hit people; Rouge and my older friend have been waiting here for three hours, why the hell won't you talk to them?!" Sonic's eyes went out of focus for a minute, before he spoke,

"We're going alphabetically."

"All right, B, Bat! C, Cat!" he flinched again, surprised as it was that she had known her alphabet.

"No, no, I meant reverse alphabetically,"

"Then why were those Squirrels the last to be called in?"

"Uh… I meant reverse alphabetically by the first name,"

"Rouge, come here." The Bat moved to stand beside Alex. "Spell your name please," Rouge spelled it out absentmindedly, trying to notice that Sonic seemed to be mouthing along. "You, sir, please, what is your name?" The older Bat was surprised to see that he was now a part of the argument, but he stood slowly and introduced himself.

"I'm Professor Warren G. Hemaled."

"Thank you sir," Alex looked at Sonic smugly.

"Uh… all right then…Warren—"

"Professor Hemaled," the Caat corrected testily.

"Yeah, yeah. _Professor Hemaled_, come in and we'll start the interview."

"Oh no you won't. You're having the interview out here where I can keep an eye on you." Sonic looked up at Alex, clearly wanting to both fight and run, reluctantly pulled a chair up and the four of them sat. Tails, in a show of extreme bravery, came into the room and took a seat beside the steaming Caat.

"Alright, it says your name, War—"

"_Professor_,"

"And your age of forty—"

"Gods dammit boy, have you no _tack_?!"

"Moving along," the Hedgehog clearly had no idea what 'tack' was. "You applied as a strategist. But is there anything you could in a battle situation?" Unexpectedly, Alex stretched out her long arms, one wrapping around the back of Tails's chair.

"Well, when I was younger I was rather adept in swordsmanship, and I suppose it's never too late to learn a new skill," Sonic wasn't listening, for he too deeply engaged in wiping away the blood that was caking on his muzzle, but Tails leaned forward, his blue eyes glowing with wonder. Rouge found herself doing an intense study of her fingernails, although they were invisible beneath the glossy fabric of her gloves.

Now Knuckles came in, and pulled up a chair, probably more secure now that the screaming had subsided. Rouge could have sworn that the Echidna had always been much more yielding than the media made him look.

As the interview progressed, Professor Hemaled answered the questions to the delight of Tails and to the surprise of Knuckles, while Sonic seemed more interested in poking his black eye. Alex didn't try to get his attention, whether it was that she knew the Professor would be brought on through Tails and Knuckles or that she just liked seeing Sonic hurt himself, Rouge didn't know. But the safe guess was that she liked watching the Hedgehog wince and hiss under his breathe.

As the final question was asked by Tails, as Sonic had taken to lounging uninterestedly back in his chair, Alex and Rouge's both ears prickled up.

"It says here that you asked to be excluded from the sexuality question, I'm required to ask why." The Professor looking at his weathered hands, his grey mustache and silver spectacles seeming to hang for his nose as he looked down.

"In my time… I suppose that I grew up when such things were much more personal. I chose not to answer that question because I felt it was rather impersonal, that's all." For a professor, he was an excellent liar, and Rouge got the feeling that he was telling mostly the truth.

"All right Professor Hemaled." Tails leaned in, keeping his voice down so Sonic wouldn't hear if he was truly listening. "If I may say, I think you're probably one of the best interviewees we've had today, and I speak against myself in that case as well." Rouge bit back a laugh as she imaged Tails, sitting in a spotlight while a faceless voice demanded answers for vague questions. The old Bat smiled warmly, laugh-lines appearing on his graying muzzle.

"Well, son, you're very kind." The older Bat made for the door, and Alex stood too, moving to the coat pegs a holding the Professor's heavy coat out or him. "Oh, thank you, miss." Then he leaned in and whispered something that made Alex nearly blush under her fur.

Rouge was next, and she found that the questions were far simpler than she had expected. They were general, when were you born, are there any diseases in your family, do you or have you had any handicaps. As she had apparently registered for the minute-men position, she had to explain her powers, which she chalked up to physical endurance, quick reflexes and a sharp mind. Knuckles asked most of these questions, and Alex seemed to be watching him intently because of that.

The Caat was last, and it was Sonic that inquired most, his questions ranging from her date of birth, to a complex mathematical inquiry that even Tails had to take a moment to figure out. Alex answered smugly, often times leaning back in her chair and speaking in an over-the-shoulder manner. As she too had applied as a minute-Animal, she was told to demonstrate her powers.

At this the Caat stood, moved into the center of the room, and without needing to point or even speak, she lifted Sonic into the air so that he hung outside-down, as if held by his ankles.

"So you can make things levitate?" Tails asked in wonderment.

"Not that, exactly," she said. Sonic fell to the floor suddenly, landing on his feet before he completely collapsed on the cold floor. "I can manipulate gravity, so you can be completely weightless, or have it be like your bones are turned to lead." Sonic was able to stand as she finished.

As her own interview drew to a close, Alex seemed to be awaiting the fatal sexuality question. Finally, Sonic looked from the roster he held to the Caat, with a nearly evil grin.

"It says here that you're a lesbian,"

"Yes, and?"

"Well, I'm afraid that there may be some dispute among the current Team members about that."

"Tell me, who _are_ these 'Team members'?"

"Well, me, Knuckles, Amy Rose, Cream the Rabbit, and Vector the Croc."

"And what are their sexualities?"

"Why should I tell you?"

"Because I told you mine."

"But I'm not _you_."

"I'll say. Now wouldn't it make more sense to just add myself to the Team, as an experiment? It could show you and your lot if you should recruit more from the homosexual community." Sonic drew a blank for a moment, while Tails watched Alex with a frightened sidelong look. The Hedgehog finally glared at Alex, before he nodded and said that the two of them were to meet up the next day to sign, as he put it, 'release-dealie-forms.'

With that Sonic and Knuckles moved back into the back room, while Alex and Rouge headed for the door, having to take a moment to figure which coat was for whom. Tails, who seemed in a state between shock and wonder, ran after them as they moved into the now freezing night.

"Wait! Miz Alex!" The Caat turned in her big coat, looking at Tails sidelong as he ran up to her. "I-I'm Miles Prower, and I wanted to ask you where you studied when you were younger!" Alex pondered this for a moment, before she took off her coat and flopped it onto Tails.

"Boy, you're gonna freeze out here you know that, right?" her words turned to steam as she spoke, but her eyes were glowing even as she gave up her coat. "Now, why do you want to know somethin' like that, kiddo?"

"Well…you just seemed to be so good a negotiator, and I want to become an inventor when I'm older, so I just wanted to know…" his voice trailed off. Alex looked at Rouge through the near midnight gloom, smiling and gesturing towards Tails.

"Can ya believe it? This kitten knows how to get what he wants, flatterin' a gal's ego like that!" Rouge was sure she was Miles blush under his light fur coat. "All right, but you gotta promise that you won't go lookin' for this place, right? If you do go there, you've got to stumble onto the place, not search for it." Miles nodded vigorously.

"All right. I was taught in a school in ghetto of Garna, back home in ze old contry." She spoke with an impromptu German/Russian accent but she had named a place that had never existed on Earth.

Miles looked up at her, strange bewilderment in his eyes.

"How about this, I'll take you there when you can tell me where apples come from."

"That's easy, apples are created when the apple-blossom matures in the autumn and the fruit grows into its full size."

"That's how they're created, but not where they come from." Alex said matter-of-factly, before snuggling up to Rouge for warmth. "You can try again tomorrow, but for now you should go home and get some sleep, you'll catch your death out here."

"But if you went to the ghetto school, isn't there an even better school where you come from?" Miles clapped his hands over his mouth, but Alex was still smiling and thumbing towards him.

"Kiddo, a brain like your's is gonna take you pretty far, and you'll be so rich you'll able to pay billionaires to shovel coal for ya! But, yeah, my ed-ju-ma-cation was monkey's bum compared to a friend of mine. Now he had it made! Diamond bathrooms, dollars up to his eyes, and a mind so sharp you can cut yourself just thinkin' 'bout it! And he gave it up fer 'is sister, now that's loyalty!" Miles was astonished by the tale, and Rouge tried to piece together the man's thinking; sacrificing money and grandeur and power for his _sister?_

"So, you tell me where apples come from, and I'll have Kyichi send over some lesson materials." And Alex walked away, keeping Rouge beside her for warmth.

"I swear, I will never understand you," the Bat said as they walked. Alex's face pulled back in a smile and she merely said that if you understand yourself you're doing something wrong. The two laughed, and Rouge wasn't quite sure why, but it felt good nonetheless.

"Should I walk you home, or can you make it yourself?" Alex's teeth were chattering and she was rubbing her forearms for warmth as they reached the fork in the road, one path leading to the Station, the over to Maple Street.

"What'd you think?" the Caat asked indignantly. Rouge, finding that she wanted to see the Station again, was glad to walk Alex home.

As the great structure's shadow appeared over the dark surface of the River, Rouge noted that the holes in the walls seemed to be boarded up, and the patches in the windows temporarily covered with what looked like thick wool. Alex hurried up the stairs and threw open the doors, a gust of warm air billowing down into the street.

Before Rouge could make sense of this, her companion had run into the building, murmuring to herself in her language. As the Bat hurried after her, she saw that within the Station there were now air vents everywhere, all of them pumping out hot air. But despite the new heating system, the whole of the place still had an aged golden glow, which was more powerful now in the light of the chandelier. There were what felt like good spirits in the Station, the same warmth and inexplicable happiness of Christmas seemed to flow through the place.

The heat and light were a welcome change from the cold and dank outside, and Rouge suddenly wanted to spend the night there.

"Hello? Rougie? Earth to Rouge, come in Rouge!" Alex snapped her fingers loudly and the Bat came out of her reverie.

"Hmm?"

"You were asleep, but standing…"

"You mean 'daydreaming'?" Alex made a face, her ears falling to the sides of her head.

"Kyi?" She was speaking her own language again. Rouge guessed at what she meant.

"You know, when you're think something and you space out?"

"Oh! You mean noon-sleeping?"

"No, I—wait, what?"

"Gods, your Earthen phrases just go round and round in circles, 'daydreaming' it makes no sense!" Alex was new to the idea of inferring.

"Well, what are some of your people's phrases?" Rouge felt oddly compelled to defend her planet.

Alex looked at Rouge of a moment.

"Alright, a feather of birds."

"You mean a flock?"

"No, a feather. It makes more sense doesn't it? I mean did you people even ask the birds if they wanted to be called flocks?"

"No, but only Birds would've told us, and they don't mind it."

"I sure as anything that there's a goose out there that hates being called a part of a flock! What about 'the needle in the haystack,' who's going to go put a perfectly good haystack around a needle?" The conversation continued like this for almost an hour, until Rouge found that exhaustion had beaten out her Earthen-born pride.

There was a great _thud!_ and Rouge groaning, her head hitting the table hard.

"You alright?"

"Tired. Very, very tried."

"But I thought Bats and bats were nocturnal?"

"Grew up with humans, sleep at night." She couldn't keep herself from speaking rather bluntly.

"How 'bout this, you stay the night and when you wake up you have to leave?"

"Sleeping," she murmured into the wooden table, closing her eyes.

She woke up before sunrise, and found that the whole Station was dark, except for the glittering chandelier. Rouge pulled herself up, her muscles screaming, and almost didn't realize that a warm wool blanket was draped across her wings.

Smiling, she hung it across the back of her chair, pulled Alex's coat back on, and headed wearily into the dawn.

It had snowed over night, and the sidewalks were covered in white powder and salt. Snow, and in September, how ridiculous! Pulling her coat tighter, she headed back towards her apartment, and collapsed onto the small sofa, falling asleep for three more hours.

When she awake again, the sun was glaring off the snow outside and Rouge had to squint just to take out the time.

It was seven, she wanted to be at the headquarters by noon, and beat the crowd to any ass-whipping. Pulling herself together and grabbing an apple, Rouge was back in the streets as the clock rung for eight.

There were few cabs, and only beggars lined the street. With the high collar of her coat pulled above her ears, Rouge wasn't bothered, and should an-early-to-work businessman pass by she was all to ready.

For all her need of answers, she found that theft seemed the easiest route to follow when it came to finances. But something deep inside her told Rouge that wasn't the whole of it.

Again she found herself watching outside of the headquarters, the glass doors making the shadows insides sway strangely.

There were three shadows, one blue, one red, and one yellow. They were all standing around, the blue one seeming to be speaking animatedly, while the red one listened and the yellow kept to itself in the corner.

Blue moved over to Yellow, a deformed hand touching what most have been shoulders. A strange face looked up at Blue, while Red leaned against the wall, and Yellow moved away from where it was standing. Blue seemed taken aback, by something large and metallic looking, and Red stood up straighter, moving closer. Yellow sort of squirmed and tried to pull a sheet over the thing, but Blue stopped him.

"Don't go near it, it'll try to get you," Rouge didn't realize she was speaking.

Blue poked the metal thing.

Dull crimson lights glow on the thing and it seemed to right itself before the lights fail and it fell back down.

Yellow pulled the sheet over the thing and the two move back to Red.

"Uh, hon, you comin' in or is it still puppet theater time?"

"Yeah… just watching." Rouge walks in, following Alex, and then blinks as she tried to get her head back.

Miles looked up at them, his eyes shining, while Knuckles looked only at Rouge and Sonic kept his head turned. The solid _thunk!_ of the Caat's cane finally makes him turn, his black eye now a deep purple. Rouge watched from the coat rack as the two glared at one another for a long moment.

Finally Alex wet her lips, brushed past him and addressed Miles.

"You looks like you know somefing," she was leaning on her cane again, very heavily, but Miles seemed just as eager to talk with her.

"What's with the cane?" Rouge looked to find Knuckles standing beside her, and she cleared her throat and moved away, a bit teasingly.

"I don't know, but I don't think it's just a trick knee," The Echidna nodded, and they watched as Miles speaks animatedly.

"I did some research, and found a scripture from an ancient Latin text," he pulled out a print out from the pocket of Alex's too-big-for-him coat. "I haven't been able to decipher what it says, but I think that's the answer!"

Alex excepted the page from the excited Fox, just as a blast of colds air came from the sliding glass doors. A huge white coat hid the person, but the entrance disrupted the previously peaceful room.

"Ooh, sorry I'm late, I was just stopping to help an old man across the street." The voice was sickly sweet, like sugar coated babies wrapped in puppies wearing little bells around their necks on a bed of velvet flowers. Rouge winced, but didn't move when Amy pulled her coat off in the cutest way possible, and tried to get the Bat to move from the coat rack.

"Uh… excuse me missy,"

"You're excused." Rouge stepped back, her arms crossed, and Amy hung her coat carefully and turned to the others.

"Hi Knuckles, Helloooo Sonic," her weak, goody-two-shoes attempt at flirting hurt, and both Alex and Rouge winced. "And who are you?" She looked at Miles, and Alex flinched, as if she were going to throw her arms out to protect him.

"Uh… I'm Mi—"

"Oh, you must be shy, well I'm Amy Rose, and since you're here, you'll be working with me soon enough!" Miles's eye twitched, and he stepped away as Amy turned her attention to Rouge.

"And _who_ are _you_?" The pink Hedgehog said, her voice as acidic as it was possible for one so good.

"Rouge the Bat, if you must know," she spoke her name with her most entrancing French accent, it came naturally to her. She could see Alex's ears flinch at the sound of her voice, the Caat's eyes glowing uncontrollably.

"Well, Rouge, I hope this will be the start of a great _friendship_!" Amy almost snarled the last word, but she held out her hand all the same. Rouge looked at it, her arms still crossed, before looking down into Amy's sparkly green eyes.

Alex pressed her palm to her brow, grumbling to herself, as Amy looked at Rouge, as if trying to smile a hand shake out of her, and the Hedgehog's smile turned to the Caat. Alex gulped down what seemed like terror as Amy approached, and her fur stood on edge as the Hedgehog smiled at her, white teeth gleaming.

"Hi I'm Amy!"

"Could you please step back your teeth are blinding me."

"Amy, this is—" Sonic tried to introduce the Caat.

"Hold it up there Bluie, I quite capable of introducing myself." She looked at Amy, "I'm Rebecca C. Gambolputty de von Ausfern- schplenden- schlitter- crasscrenbon- fried- digger- dingle- dangle- dongle- dungle- burstein- von- knacker- thrasher- apple- banger- horowitz- ticolensic- grander- knotty- spelltinkle- grandlich- grumblemeyer- spelterwasser- kurstlich- himbleeisen- bahnwagen- gutenabend- bitte- ein- nürnburger- bratwustle- gerspurten- mitz- weimache- luber- hundsfut- gumberaber- shönedanker- kalbsfleisch- mittler- aucher von Hautkopft of Ulm, but everyone calls me Judy Bee."

Rouge bit back a snicker, Knuckles disguises his own laugh with a cough, Miles bit his lip, and Sonic both glared and looked amazed.

Amy looked at Alex for a moment, before turning to Sonic, and leading him into a corner to discuss something.

Alex, clearly pleased with herself, sat down with Miles' findings and seemed to be able to read it. Rouge and the young Fox sat on either side of her, while Knuckles looked over Rouge's shoulder.

"Hmm… well kiddo, you're on the right track, but you'll never be able to translate this mess."

"Wha, why not?"

"Because," she smiled at Miles, "It ain't in an Earthen language!" She handed the page back to Miles, and looked up at Knuckles.

"Hey buddeh, wot's yer name?"

The Echidna looked surprised at her interest, but not scared like he had been the night before.

"I'm called Knuckles,"

"I don't give a flying kipper what you're _called_, wot's yer _name_?"

"Knuckles then."

"Pardon my saying so, but that sounds like the name they give a two-bit game character with a shitty back-story." The Echidna shrugged this off, his temper was much better than what most people thought it to be.

"My parents weren't good with names so they went for the birth defect." He held up his hand, which was bandaged from the elbow to the knuckles, which looked like long crimson blades attached to the red fur.

"Hmm. That's not the best way for a parent to act if you ask me, but hey, whatever works best for 'em. So how'd you get to be here?"

"I've known 'His Heroness' for a couple years, and he dragged me in when he saw I was a good fighter."

"Well, gotta say, love the dreads, they remind me of a friend." The Caat nodded her approval, while Knuckles brushed a thin red braid out of his face.

"Espio, yous jist don't have good taste in music!" The loud and growly voice of Vector the Croc thundered through the room as the doors went spinning round and the great Reptile came striding in. He was covered in scarves, a heavy winter coat, and several gloves and hats. His headphones were wrapped around the back of his scaly head, and the long golden chain jingled loudly about his neck.

"Or you simply don't have the sense to accept others' opinions." Then came the slow murmur of Espio, who entered, the striking oriental appearance he normally seemed to dramatize dulled by similar clothing to Vector's.

"Or you jist don't know what's good!"

"What're ya listenin' to?" Alex asked, looking up at Vector interestedly.

"The Beastie Boys." Vector said proudly. The Caat nodded in approval.

"And you?" She asked Espio.

"Mostly mediation rhythms, or natural sounds."

"Okay, how 'bout this? You, listen to Beastie Boys when Espio is too deep in mediation to notice. And you mediate when he's rocking out too much to notice." The two reptiles looked at her, then exchanged glances, nodded and went to drag Sonic out of his conversation with Amy.

"C'mon Sam, it's time for this dump to open up!" Sonic jumped at the sound of his name, but Vector's superior size and strength made it impossible for him to argue.

"_Sam? _You mean like, _Samuel_?" Alex and grinning evilly, making Rouge, Miles and Knuckles all squirm back.

"Oh no, 'is name's Samuil," It was all too clear that Alex and Vector were going to get on famously, for them both had a gleam in their eyes that seemed to connect their minds.

"Well, _Samuil_, let's get this place runnin', or else you'll see just how well I can use this ole cane!" Sonic turned to her, looking both terrified that she was just a few inches short of Vector, and infuriated that she was surer of herself than even he was. Alex smirked, and flapped her wings into a more comfortable position, the power of the great leathery thing blowing the Hedgehog back.

And just like that, Rouge was sure there would never be a truce between Caat and Hog. This was truly going to be interesting.

* * *

**Well I warned you, and ya got this far. Good for you! Please review and what not, your comments (good or bad) are very important to me!**


	4. Hurricane

**H-okay. Chapter 4, not quiet 5 but certainly not 3. This was actually a lot of fun, despite all the drama. And now you get some insight into Alex's origins!**

**Sonic Team belongs to Sonic Team**

**Alex, Miles's family, Sell, and Professor Hemaled belong to themselves and I hang ot with them.**

**NOW READ DAMN YOU!**

* * *

"Don't call me that." With all the size differences, and black eyes, Sonic still had the bravery to stand up to Alex. 

"All right Sam-Sam, but let's get this place runnin' already!" the Caat was already sounding like the CEO, instead of the intern. But that was Alex.

Sonic and Knuckles disappeared into the side room again, while the others turned to each other for entertainment.

It was only by the grace of God that they didn't die of deadpan before the two returned with piles of forms that they set on the small coffee table in the center of the room.

"Alright, Rouge, Tails, Alex, you'll have to fill these out in triplicate." Sonic offered each of them pens, Alex having to pull a bit harder to get hers.

"Who's Tails?" Alex said, pulling out the first four forms.

"Uh…I…am." Miles clearly didn't relish the name, and with good reason.

Alex glared at Sonic for this, before harrumphing, clicking her pen and setting on to fill out her form.

The rest of the morning was a blur of forms and procedure leaflets. Most of the glossy blue pamphlets found themselves in the trash before rain thundered against the windows at noon.

Because the Reptile population of the room wouldn't be able to get home safely by the afternoon, it was decided that everyone in the room would have the rest of the day to themselves.

Rouge and the Falcon were first to leave, the Bird indignantly flapping his wings while the Bat was still close enough to be hurt. Grabbing a stone from the cracked pavement, she threw it hard after the great flying thing, and smiled as the Falcon sank a few feet before flying out of sight.

As she looked after the Bird in the shelter of the headquarters blue oning, the Professor emerged onto the street, opening his great black umbrella. Rouge wasn't surprised at all to find Alex at Hemaled's heels, and as the older Bat was the only person to bring an umbrella, the Caat bent down to ask for shelter.

"Sir, could join you under your um-brella?" Both Bats smiled at her phrasing.

"Of course, ma'am, just be careful of your tail." Rouge, strangely serene in the pounding rain, decided that the Professor would forever be seen as the father-figure to herself, and perhaps the rest of the Team.

"I'll see you round Rougie,"

"See tomorrow Miss Rouge, stay dry!"

"Yeah, see ya." Proper formalities weren't needed for addressing a father or sister, so with that and a wave she headed down the street.

Walking with her shoulders hunched made Rouge feel horribly undignified, but at the risk of catching a cold before it was rightly winter, she had no choice but to sallow her pride and face the pavement as she walked.

The night was just as cold and rainy, and Rouge found herself bored out of her skull. She needed to be outside, not cooped in a freezing little apartment!

By the next morning, the streets were coated with ice, and the snow had turned to gray slosh. But, after listening briefly to the morning news, Rouge heard of no office closings, and thus she covered her slim form with scarves and gloves before slipping into the street.

It was far past strange how the citizens of Station Square were so adaptable to the horrid weather. Not one of them looked disturbed by cold, and everyone seemed perfectly happy to get to their unheated offices. And none of them, not one, seemed interesting in the fact that the snowy Bat was robbing them all blind.

In fact, they didn't even notice her, or Miles when Rouge met him around the riverside ghetto. As the two moved to the great steel headquarters, the sky began to twist from the bleached white snow sky, to a sickly gray. It was, if anything, a hurricane sky.

The rest of the morning was grim and full of dread. Miles found a radio in the headquarters and was listening intently, hoping his mother, grandfather and siblings could get out of the ghetto and into shelter quickly. The cold was more intense, and Alex was very concerned for the Reptiles among them, so she accompanied them down to the furnace room to help keep them warm. Knuckles, who was also concerned for his family, was trying desperately to call them on his phone, but they never pickled up.

Sonic busied himself by trying to fix up the dorms they had in the headquarters, Professor Hemaled helping him with the sleeping arrangements. Amy just sat in the front, looking at her hands with a pale face as Cream tried to cheer her up.

Rouge, having seen that it was her turn to keep the faith, had followed Miles into the boy's dorm, it didn't matter now. The Fox sat in front of the radio, his shoulders hunched as he strained to catch each word.

She walked up to him, sat down silently and listened to the broadcasting.

"With all the ice on the roads, it's almost impossible for people to evacuate, but emergency crews are working harder than ever to help the citizens. I'm being told that they are doing 'humans first and then animals' strategy and I send m—" Rouge clicked the thing off, and Miles looked to her with a horrified gleam in his normally spirited eyes.

"Why did you—" Rouge got up, and was heading down to the furnace before Miles could finish.

The stairs leading down to the boiler room were rickety, and very steep, but Rouge strode down them and entered the almost super heated room.

Espio, Vector, Alex and Sell (the Python) were all sitting around the great steel heating system. Sell was wrapped around Alex, Espio was leaning on Vector in the same way a lover would, and the Caat was leaning back on her hands, sweating coating her fur.

"Alex! I need to speak to you quickly!" The Caat turned to Rouge wearily, sweat dripping into her great green eyes. Sell slithered off of her, and Vector picked him up as the Caat stood.

Rouge led the way up the stairs, tapped Miles on the shoulder to hint for him to follow and signaled for Professor and Sonic to come as well.

They all moved into the front, and Knuckles looked up from his phone as Amy and Cream glanced to Rouge.

Bat moved to stand before all of them, and looked into their tried faces with a feeling of dread.

"We have to help." She said. Professor Hemaled shifted, Miles leaned on Alex, who wrapped an arm around him. Sonic looked at the floor, Knuckles put down his phone and Amy pushed Cream away wearily.

"They need us now, and we're the only ones who can really help now!" her voice was raising uncontrollably.

Miles closed his eyes tightly, Alex looked mournfully at Rouge, Hemaled looked at her interestedly, Knuckles stood up a bit straighter.

"They got emergency crews, they'll be alright." Sonic murmured.

"I'm not talking about the humans, I mean the animals! The humans won't help them when it gets bad, we're their only hope!" Miles looked up now, as did Amy.

"We ain't got the time to save them."

"If we act now they'll have a better chance! You're supposed to be the fastest guy on Earth, time isn't a problem for you!" Sonic wouldn't speak for hours after that.

"We should start at the East Riverside, that's where it will be worst. After we evacuate the animals there we should move towards the center of the city. The taller buildings will be better shelter for the ones that follow us." Professor Hemaled sounded as if he had been planning this for hours.

Not a word was spoken as they took only the necessary clothing and piled into Knuckles's car. Cream would stay and take care of the Reptiles.

As they drove through the streets, they decided who would do what.

Rouge, Alex, Miles and Sonic would get the East Side cleared out. From there they would meet Hemaled, Amy and Knuckles in the city center. They would then make sure they could get the people who followed safe, before they worked towards the Sea Facing side of the city.

The first team jumped out of the car, and Miles ran to an apartment complex on the corner. Alex was at his heels, while Rouge looked to the frozen Sonic.

"You keep this up and she'll steal all your Hero renown." The Hedgehog charged after the others and Rouge followed.

The building was brick and had a weather-worn feeling to it. Tails ran up the narrow stairs and was turning down a hall when the others caught up. He leapt into a large Red Fox's arms as Alex worked on organizing the other tenants.

"Mama! I thought you all were toast! Com'n we gotta get you out of here!" Rouge, helping a terrified looking Badger get all her children out of the complex, caught a glimpse of Miles as he ushered two small Foxes into the hall, an older White Fox wheeling himself into the throng after them.

Miles's mother looked at him with an almost sad smile, before hurrying to her family. The young Fox ran into the apartment, emerging seconds later with what looked like a handheld game-remote, Rouge would've paid more attention, but there was far too much work to be done.

Not ten minutes later the whole of the complex was in the lobby, And Alex was calling out her orders in a voice stronger than usual.

"Now, I see all of you have blankets and heirlooms, and I couldn't be happier for that! If we're going to make it through this we'll need something for people to look to when they think of us!" many people smiled, before remembering what was afoot, "But we can't have you all carry it, it'll slow you down! So, I'll carry it for you." She held out her arms, no one moved. "I swear on my life that I'll return everything you give me, and should I not I won't rest until it's returned or I die. Now, I need all the blankets and ropes, quickly!" Several people, seeing she was serious, gave her the blankets, and she instructed them to tie all the cloth over her arms so that it made a basket.

With her arms and hand useless, Alex had everything packed into the bundle, wincing as she strained to control the gravity.

Finally, as she huffed and puffed to keep control, she ordered every able-bodied animal to follow into the rest of the ghetto, and for them all to forget who they helped.

"Alex!" She was leading the refugees into the deathly clam outside. She looked to Miles, "Where are you taking them?"

"Home," was all she could manage.

As the now much larger group flooded into the street, one half heading into a strange alley after the Caat, the others moving into the ghetto, Rouge was far too focused on her work to notice the storm that was growing on the horizon.

They were almost done clearing the ghetto, Alex almost incapacitated, when in began to rain. The whole operation moved faster, and within and forty minutes they were headed deep into the city.

"We've warned everyone out of their homes, and most have even fled the city. The others are going to stay in the stadium, and there'll be enough room for us if we hurry." Professor Hemaled's voice was strong, even though he was leaning heavily on Knuckles.

"We're not staying in a stadium." Everyone looked to Alex. "Let's get Cream and the others, and then I'll get us to a safe house outside the city." No one questions, there was no time for it. They collected the others, and once more Knuckles otherwise large SUV was crammed with bodies.

Alex drove now, and it was obvious why she normally walked everywhere.

She cut closely around every corner, and her steel-toed boots were pushing the engine to its limits. But nonetheless they drove through weaving back roads, and empty alley's, until she finally stopped in front of a two story wooden pub.

As she ushered them all in, Rouge caught a glance at a street sign, and knew that something was afoot.

There was no 'Naimee Nahri' in Station Square.

"Alex, where the hell are we?" The Caat wasn't nervous anymore, in fact she breathing relaxed and she stood with a casual aura.

"At the safe house, of course!" She actually laughed, and Rouge knew that there was something very wrong going on.

"Where's the safe house?"

"Outside the city,"

"But we were just in the city, there's no way this is the safe house."

"How do you know?"

"We just passed my apartment ten yards back."

The Caat's face fell.

"Get inside Rouge." She was serious, and before the Bat could argue more Alex pushed her into the refugee filled pub.

The place was huge, even with nearly a thousand people in it. Wooden paneling covered every surface; there was a large bar area to the far right, and a crowded stage in the back. And stairway twisted up in the corner and a balcony lead to several doorways from there.

Rouge was nearly deafened by the animals' cheers, and before she knew what was happening she was mobbed by tearful people. She was rubbed on the head, slapped on the back, kissed, hugged, pulled and pushed, for what seemed like hours, until the people finally fell back and she was able to breathe.

She was being pulled through the crowd, Cream and Amy following, and followed Alex up the twisting stair as Professor Hemaled emerged through the throng.

The old Bat joined them on the balcony as Alex answered them.

"I want everyone to take up one of the rooms up here, and whoever else is in there, they're your roommates. The female dorms are to the right, males to the left, and each should have a bathroom. The room to the front is private, and no one is allowed to enter without my permission. If you can't find a room then tell me and I'll see what I can do. And for the Gods' sakes if I hear that any of you has taken from the bar downstairs there will be consequences!" she had never seemed so much like a general before, it was almost scary.

Rouge headed after Alex as she moved towards the front room, and just as the Caat was about to close the door, Rouge pulled it open.

"You've got a hell of a lot of explaining to do."

* * *

Well, here we are again. As usual, please review, and if you gots a problem with slash of various kinds, go cry in a bowl of meat! Thanks for reading, and stay tuned for more, 


	5. Bonding Time!

**Well, this is our chapter for character building. We have Alex's back story, Rouge's back story, a flirty moment with Knuckles at the end, some more insight into Professor Hemaled's... romantic life, and bonding with Alex and Miles. **

**Again, if you don't like slash and Knuckles being a gay wad, go beat your head in. If you don't like different back-stories for the characters, get a saw a manually open your mind. **

**Be forewarned, this chapter has a brief moment of heroism with Sonic. Scream!**

**Sonic Team belongs to Sonic Team**

**Alex belongs with Rouge, and to me I guess. Professor Hemaled belongs to himself and likes speaking Hindi.**

* * *

Alex looked at Rouge warily in the small room's half-light. The Caat swallowed, before sitting heavily in one of the chairs beside her and gesturing for Rouge to sit as well.

"Where should I begin?" There was something strange about this place, as if it made everything and everyone untouchable.

"Where are we?" Rouge found herself demanding the answers, as if she no longer sat across from Alex.

"We're…in Puss's Boots Pub, Garna, Akloria. It only looked like Station Square because I tried to cloak the Transit."

"Why would you do that?" her voice was softening.

"Because…up till now only you know that I don't belong on Earth. And I don't want to risk losin' everything I've been workin' towards."

"But why did you come to Earth then?"

"Coz it's one of the only places where an animal can make a living. And I just needed to get out of Akloria for a while."

"Why?"

"My sister, Neya. She's younger, see, and I worry for her as a sister, but she never minds me." Rouge tried to wrap her mind round the idea of Alex as an older sister.

"Go on," now the Caat looked up, her eyes shining in the lamplight. She sat up in her chair.

"Me 'n' Ney never really got on well. I'm so much like Pops, that Mum and he took a shine to me while she had to grub for attention. I tried to be good to her, but the more I tried the more she thought I was mocking her. See, she's all 'bout class and womanly shit, but when you look at me, it's like we're polar opposites. Pop was a thief, and he says that I'm just as eccentric as he was, but when that kind of stuff happens you'd figure that Ney would be like Mum. She's not. Mum's easy going, crafty, and can be a smart-ass sometimes. Neya's all hard work and backbreaking labor. She wants to make it big, but she never learned to have fun with life." Alex stopped her chest swelling with a deep breath. Rouge didn't expect her to continue.

"So, once she was old enough, Neya moved out and was off on her own way. I tried to keep in touch, but she always weaseled away before I could apologize for all the shit I put her through. So I wanted to get away, and I remembered that little blue marble just across the sun. And before I know it I'm enrollin' as a Hero and meeting a gal who needs to relook her own memories." Alex was slumping in her chair again, but Rouge didn't mind.

In the following silence Rouge inspected the room. There was a table and chairs, two windows that looked out into the street, a small refrigerator, stove and island in the corner. A narrow hall led into darkness across the room from the Bat.

"Why did you bring us here, Alex?"

"It was the safest place I could think of. I mean, we'd never survive the storm back at HQ, so I figured people'd want to be with their families and brought y'all here."

Again came a tired and very lengthy silence. Alex broke it at last.

"So, can I ask you some stuff?"

"All right," it was only fair.

"Hmm…okay, how'd you get the name Rouge, coz I know what red is and you ain't red." Rouge normally would've laughed, but she too unnerved by the new place to find the humor in Alex's words.

"Well, I was abandoned at an orphanage run by an older Frenchmen. He named me for the blanket I was wrapped in, and from that moment on he took responsibility for me." The Caat was nodding slowly. "He taught me French, then English, and after the nuns around the place taught me to read and write I went to make my way in the world. And before I knew it I was enrolling as a Hero and meeting a gal who told me I was replaying my own memories."

The was night daunting, as if it were twice as long as it should've been, but the two kept trading stories until the sky outside was pitch black. Before daybreak Rouge knew that Alex had grown up under the watchful eyes of a jewel thief and a jewelry store owner. The Caat's parents had met when Farsay, a noted nocturnal shoplifter, had nearly been blasted to death by May, a cunning and short tempered shop owner. Farsay had loved May from the moment she sprang out of under her desk with a double barreled shotgun pointed at the Bat's nose.

Rouge, having never had a family for which to mourn, was grateful that she had been at the orphanage once Alex was done with her story. Having grown up mostly in the streets and having her younger sister to look after, Alex had done what most never thought to. She had grown out, instead of closing up her strife. That was what had made her Alex, the exposure to drugs, booze, sex, murder and hate.

The Caat described that once she had almost broken a guy's skull when he'd come after Neya, who ran off crying and shouting that Alex didn't believe she could look after herself.

Through all the story swapping, Rouge tried to understand how Alex had been able to keep her head up. The Caat just shrugged when she asked, saying that it was just what you did.

When they finally decided to turn in, Alex presented Rouge with a coot, explaining that she herself slept upside-down. The Bat didn't believe her until Alex jumped up towards the rafters and swung her legs around so that she could hang comfortably.

The morning came much later than Rouge thought it would, and thus the Bat found herself starring into the darkness as she waited for the sun to come through the windows. Alex, on the other hand, purred gently in her sleep, occasionally twitching and making Rouge think that the Caat was going to fall from her perch.

By daybreak, the night's strange length having given the refugees more than enough sleep, the entire pub was a buzz with hundreds of people's morning routines. But with all the action, chaos broke out with the children within minutes.

The street outside was packed with people who tried their best to alter the local police that a young Chinchilla was in great danger. The child had, in an attempt to escape the Jaguar that was chasing him, figured his way to the roof of the pub and had nearly fallen off the ledge when he came to a slick part of the roof. Unable to pull himself back up, and the others not risking falling themselves, the Chinchilla had yelled for all his worth and soon all of the Heroes were working to get him down.

"Alex, just fly up and get him!" Knuckles seemed disapproving of the Caat's inactivity.

"I can't, if the people round here see anything flyin' round at this hour they'll all be out here with their crossbows and holy water and I'll never-"

"I got the kid." Sonic held out the tiny and fluffy brown child who had been holding onto him very tightly. The Hedgehog had run up the front of the building, grabbed the kid and run back down before anyone could really make sense of it all.

The Chinchilla's mother ran up to Sonic, pulled her son in to her arms and was thanking the Hero as the others began to cheer.

Alex was looking at him as if she were starring at a completely different person. When finally the cheering stopped and the animals were moving back into the pub, she came up to the beaming Sonic and tapped his shoulder politely.

He was reluctant to turn, her shadow having fallen over him, but all the same the two faced one another for a long moment.

Alex was first to move, her shoulders advancing before the rest of her as she held out her fist. She opened her hand, and the Hedgehog looked at her for a moment before he shook it quickly.

"G—Good work, there," the Caat choked out the words in an almost raspy voice.

And in perhaps his first and only moment of grace, Sonic nodded to her politely and moved back into the pub.

"Well that was unexpected." Alex mumbled to herself, before moving to the door and holding it open for Rouge.

It was the freakish good-nature of Station Square's citizens that got the city running again. Instead of worrying and fussing as the animals and sensible people did, the human citizens were happy to perform the back-breaking labor that was needed for the city to stay alive.

* * *

Alex and Rouge moved back into the girl's dorm to meet the other female Heroes after nearly a month in the pub. It felt good to be back at work, even if they had yet to be noticed by anyone who actually needed Heroes. 

The Bat's thoughts were broken and her stomach turned at the sight of Amy's designing. Everything was pink, the floor the ceiling, and everything in between. There was a bathroom off to the side, a couch and an emergency escape to the right.

The Caat had a strange look on her face, a mixture of pure confusion and the look of someone who had bitten their tongue for a very long time.

On the couch sat the pink Hedgehog and Cream, who was playing with a teddy-bear twice her size. There was another person in the room and he stood beside Amy, his white-gloved hand stroking her chin.

"Awwwwwwwwww," Alex's voice made Sonic snap to attention, and he broke away from Amy. "It's so sweet that you care for her, for a moment I forgot I was looking at an asshole" The Hedgehog paled behind his tan, and in a flash of blue he was gone, the door closed firmly behind him. Amy looked at Alex indignantly, her small muzzle wrinkled and her eyes narrowed. The Caat took no notice of this, and she addressed Rouge with a more pressing matter,

"I just realized that I'm the most macho girl in here! Dammit!" Cream squealed at the curse, and Amy leapt to her feet, storming up to the surprised and very amused Caat.

"How dare you curse here! You'll give Cream a heart attack and if you keep that kind of talk up—" Axex bent down at the waist, cupped Amy's chin in one hand and pulled their mouths together. The pink Hedgehog squealed through her lips, while Axel kissed with her eyes closed. Then, just as quickly as it had happened, Axle broke the kiss and let Amy and Cream run out of the dorm screaming.

"How was it?" Rouge asked slyly, her companion making a pained expression and holding her stomach.

"Awwwww, man! It was horrible! Like when you eat too much candy and your tongue tastes like sugar for two weeks!" The Caat steadied herself against the wall, before she stumbled dramatically to the bathroom, one hand covering her mouth.

After five minutes of melodramatic groaning, both in the bathroom and while sprawled out on the couch, Alex sat up and looked Rouge in the eye. The Caat's sharp teeth gleamed in a mischievous grin, and Rouge found that all she could do was raise an eyebrow.

"You wanna go get hammered?" Rouge, not quite surprised by the offer, thought for a moment.

"Sure, I got nothing planned." With that the two pulled themselves up, and sent the rest of the afternoon in 'Anne's 900 club', singing show-tunes and laughing until they could barely see straight.

* * *

Despite the fact that Rouge was perfectly happy to live with Alex in the Station, the fact that the hurricane had flooded the streets and the Tree District (in which Rouge's apartment complex was) had nearly been submerged by the gale was not settling. But it was this fact that, after a month of living with Alex, inspired the Caat to offer Rouge permanent lodging. 

"Aww, c'mon Rouge, you've been livin' wif me fer, like, two months now! And they haven't been talkin' 'bout fixin' Maple Street, so why not?" Alex sat at the foot of the bed, while Rouge adjusted her open-backed shirt in the mirror across the room. The Bat had never been more grateful that she kept her important stuff, such as money, clothes, and various other material necessities, in a watertight wardrobe she had happened upon.

"Because I said so. Besides, that would mean that I'd have to pay rent." She turned to face Alex, whose eyes widen as she looked Rouge over from head to toe.

"Not necessarily. The power in this place comes from a generator my friend built, so it doesn't cost but nothing." Alex stood now, and they walked to the door of the Station, throwing their coats on before they stepped into the cold night. Rouge stopped on the top landing of the stairs, Alex had already been walking down and she stopped just so that they were at eye level.

"And how do I know you won't just barge that you were living with the Temptress of the Heroes." It wasn't a bad title, certainly better than Tails in the long run at least.

Alex looked into Rouge eyes, acid green to sapphire blue, before sighing out a puff of steam and speaking.

"I can't honestly say I wouldn't barge, but I wouldn't try any of that drugged up frat boy shit. I promise you that!" Rouge surveyed the Caat's expression, before sighing.

"I'll think about it."

"_YES!_" Alex flinched excitedly, punching the air.

"No, not yes, maybe."

"Ah, but you told me that's what Earthen parents say when they mean 'yes' but don't wanna say it." Alex was catching onto Earthen phrasing much too quickly.

"Well I'm not your mother." Alex only laughed, and the two moved into the night, heading to a curry-bar where they were treating Knuckles, Professor Hemaled, Miles and the rest of the un-irritating Team members.

The evening was full of the warm taste and smell of hot curry, chicken kabobs, buttery roti, mango lassis, and lots of garlic nan. Alex, who had made a solemn vow to pester Espio to best of her ability, kept telling the Chameleon to be quiet to the delight of Miles and Vector. Professor Hemaled had been speaking to the manager in Hindi throughout the meal, and it seemed that they got on well because whenever Rouge looked up at them they were sharing a private joke.

The walls of the restaurant were draped with crimson rugs, the windowsills decorated with copper statues, and there were murals on the walls that abstractly depicted desert landscapes. To this end, one half of the table couldn't look up at the walls without giggling, while the other half shook their heads ruefully at their companions.

Rouge, in a moment of the purest optimism, though that perhaps there wouldn't be too much fuss about the decor. The meal had to be ended, however, when Alex, after about ten minutes of giggling with Miles, stood up in her chair, pointing to the painting on the wall, and called to whomever was listening;

"There are _asses_ on the walls! Look around you people! Asses! Think about it!"

Thankfully, that manager didn't understand much English, and thus they were able to get out of the restaurant before they were banned permanently.

* * *

Alex took Miles home, while the Professor led them to a bar in one of the more colorful districts of the city. 

Rouge, who caught on to what kind of bar it was the second she saw that the patrons knew the Professor, was comfortable to sit at the bar and watch as the other 'women' in the began to swarm around Knuckles.

* * *

"Alex!" the next day Knuckles pulled Alex aside the moment he saw her, and luckily Rouge could still hear them despite the Echidna's whispering. 

"Why didn't you _tell_ me it was a _drag_ bar?!"

"Well I did but you seemed so…"

"Well you could've pulled me aside!"

"But the 'ladies' just swarmed around you so much, I couldn't get through the crowd. But I tried to call to you—let's see, one, two, three…—twelve times."

"I couldn't hear you!"

"Really, because once you looked right at me, and smiled, and I screamed but you just nodded and…"

"Look, let's just not bring it back up, okay?"

"Alright, but by the way, Ophelia Summersault told me to give you her number." Rouge glanced over now, and Alex handed Knuckles a folded piece of paper, which he looked at thoughtfully, before pocketing with a small smirk.

* * *

**Yawn I ish sleepiful. Tell me what you guys think, plz.**


	6. Angels, Babels, and Clones

**Okay, this is probably as close as I'm going to let this story get to being angsty. So, whoopdy-do. **

**Anyway. This has lots of plot, so we have Rouge doin' stuff, Alex doin' stuff, and the unfortunate return of the Ox.**

** Alex belongs to herself, and Professor Hemaled likes to read paper-back novels! **

**Sonic and company belong to that one guy that ain't me...**

* * *

Time was beginning to worry Rouge. She was growing more and more aware of the fact that it had been months since she had pressed that gem to her head, and Alex had no idea what the effects on the body were. The Bat tried not to think about it, but the more she moved through the nearly frozen city, the more she remembered that it had been the middle of summer when she had first thought of Alex.

And the knowledge that the Caat she had been following was perhaps not the same person after half a decade was taxing as well.

"Alex?" It was dark in the Station, but Rouge had grown used to the gloom after nearly two months of unofficially living with the Caat.

"Yeah?" Alex's voice came from the ceiling, for she had found a rafter that was 'perfect for a snooze'.

"What do you think you'll be like in five years?" the Bat was careful about the question, and glad for the fact that the darkness hid the worried look on her face.

There was a long pause, before the sound of Alex turning over on her rafter echoed through the shadows.

"I dunno. The way things are going I don't see a whole lot changin' for me." Rouge wished she could believe that, but the feeling in her stomach told her that something bad was going to happen. "What about you, babes?"

"I…I'll probably work for the government. Maybe do some side projects too." Rouge expected Alex to respond, but there wasn't a sound from the Caat for about five minutes.

"Rouge…I wish I could help." The Bat looked down at the old tile floor, kicking a pebble from underfoot.

She wanted to say something, but the only thing she could think of would probably hurt. Finally, she moved from the wall she had leaning to the faint outline of the door.

"I think I'll take a walk." She didn't try to sound cheerful, not wanting to lie to the one person she was sure she could trust.

"Alright, but be safe, 'hear?"

"Alright."

The night was cold, but the air was still. Rouge could sense no danger, and yet she couldn't shake the feeling that something was going to happen. She didn't try to run, but her legs wanted to flee. Her too-small-wings itched to fly away, but the Bat stayed anchored to the ground as she walked.

Rouge could only think of what Alex would be like when she woke up from all this. The idea that the Caat would be bitter in just five years was taxing, but she could change easily. Or perhaps she would be the same, and Rouge could forget this whole thing happened.

She kept walking, from the Station the headquarters. Headquarters to Miles's apartment. Miles's apartment to Amy's 'humble' flat in the upper class district. Amy's flat to Knuckles's hole–in-the-wall backstreet loft. Knuckles's loft to the Professor's library-side boarding-house.

Rouge stopped in front of the red brick apartment. She could see a light on in the older Bat's window on the second level. For almost an hour she stood there, wondering if she should go in. As she stood there, the light clicked off and small white pin-pricks began to drift about the Bat.

As the first small flakes began to fall, Rouge caught a glimpse of a single star through the clouds. She wished, wished for time. Time for her to remember. Time for Alex to stay the way she was. Time for Miles to learn what he wanted before he changed. Time for the Professor to find the answers he looked for. Time for Vector to tell Espio what he needed to say. Time for them all to just stay put.

As she opened her eyes to look back as her star, a glassy flake of snow fell on her little black nose. Rouge looked at it for a moment before it melted into her ivory fur. She felt different. Perhaps not better, but different.

Wordlessly, she turned down the street and headed back to the Station. By the time she was back the streets were covered in a layer of thin white powder. She laughed to herself, for she knew that Alex would tell Miles that there were no lessons for him because it had snowed. Professor would come into work with a heavy coat, while Vector and Espio would be covered with as many coats and scarves as they could get around themselves. Amy would be wearing her silly fake-fur coat, and a boob-shirt that showed how flat she was. Sonic would freeze his tail off by only wearing his trademark jacket. Knuckles would have to wear fingerless gloves, and his leather jacket to keep his tough guy appearance. And Alex would get out her 'noble llama-herder' hat and wear it over her long ears with a proud smile.

By the time Rouge was inside the Station, she couldn't stop laughing. How she had gotten to know such weirdoes was open to anyone, but she was glad she knew some of them.

She changed into a nightgown and snuggled up in the bed in the corner, her heart finally at ease. Through the darkness she saw the outline of Alex on her rafter, wings pulled warmly around her. There a rhythmic purring in the air, and as Rouge closed her eyes she was slowly lulled to sleep by the steady sound.

Not two weeks after her midnight stroll, Rouge found that Alex was eager to have her return to Akloria to meet someone.

"Alex, I think you need to adjust to the months here, you've missed Halloween by about a month and a half."

"Nah, Rougie! It's not 'bout Halloween, it's 'bout you meeting my Angel!" Alex was leading Rouge down one of the alleys that was supposed to lead to Alex's home. The Bat was skeptical that there was anything important to be done now, but if Alex was so dead set on introducing her to someone, it was worth a try. "But before we get there, you'll need to put this fish in your ear."

Alex took a glass far out of her coat, in which a small yellow, leech-like worm swam back and forth happily. Rouge stopped, looked from the fish, to Alex, and back.

"You want me to put a _fish_ in my_ ear_?" Rouge pointed one dark gloved finger at the strange thing.

"Yup."

"Why?"

"It's a babelfish, so when I speak in Aklorian, you'll understand perfectly."

"And you want me to put a _fish_ in my _ear?_"

"Aww c'mon! It's only a little one!"

"Ehhh! Alex! Put that slimy thing back in your coat!" Alex had undone the lid to the jar, her claws retracting as her hand reached for the babelfish.

"It won't hurt none! I promise!"

"Get that thing away from me!"

"I promise!"

"No! Now put it—AHHHGG!" Alex's quick hand pressed the wet thing to Rouge's ear, where it hastened away from the Bat's clawing hand. There was a wet sucking sound and watery pop, and Rouge gnashed her teeth as the small thing burrowed quickly into her ear.

In her sudden panic, Rouge didn't notice that Alex had wrapped her scarf quickly around Rouge's babelfished ear. Then the Bat noted the extra warmth, she looked up at Alex with a questioning and yet grateful look.

"What? I didn't want you to catch a cold from that lil' bugger."

Rouge drew the scarf from her ear, with all dignity, and wrapped it elegantly around her neck. Alex smiled, and led the way to Transit, as she called it. Rouge couldn't feel any change around them, but before long they were standing in the middle of a bustling city. The whole place reminded Rouge of all the American cities she had read about. Chicago, New York, Boston, Philly. All of they seemed to mesh together in this place, and Alex walked the streets like she owned the whole of it.

Rouge, having ensured not bring anything important with her, was neither concerned with pick-pocketing, or having her own self tricked. Alex had assured her that anything that she stole in Akloria would be next to worthless on Earth.

Soon, they stood in front of the wood paneled pub and the Caat was gallantly opening the door for Rouge. Alex lead her through a crowd of old men who seemed to be made primarily of vapor, to the bar area. The Caat hopped over the surface of the bar, and was explaining to Rouge before the Bat could make sense of any of it.

"Ya see, for some reason Akloria ends up with most of Earth's ghosts. And the majority of 'em are those kind of sorrowful spirits, so where do they go? I'll tell ya, they come to the pubs to drown 'emselves for a while before Halloween. And that's when they clear out real well! They go back to Earth and say what they need to or do whatever they wanna, and the bars are finally open to the citizens. And that's the one night I give out free drinks."

"Alex?" the voice was soft and feminine, and as rich as melting honey. Rouge glanced over in the direction of the voice, and saw a tall Cat across the bar. She was slightly taller than Rouge, but shorter than Alex, with long deep red hair. She had white fur all around her face, which made her look like an old cartoon. Her amber eyes glowed with intelligence and she had long, thin hands with white fuzzy on the underside.

Clad in modest clothes, and with only a locket around her neck, Rouge thought little of her despite the height difference.

"Angel! Babeh how are you?!" Alex tore across the bar to the Cat, pulling her into a powerful hug. A huge smile appeared on the Caat's face, making her feline face raise a few inches on her head.

Some of the ghosts near the two made sounds of good-willed pleasure at this, and as Rouge watched one of the old men moved closer to her.

"Ya know 'em, hon?" the voice was strange, both a whisper and a growl, but with a happy undertone that the Bat hadn't been prepared for.

"Only the tall one,"

Alex led the Cat called Angel back to Rouge, and the ghost beside her moved to open a seat for the red feline.

Rouge and Angel looked at each other for a long moment, and the Bat got the sinking feeling that this was not to be a happy meeting.

When her sapphire eyes flicked back to Alex, the Caat was biting her lip and looking worried. But within a second Alex was smiling again.

"Angel, this is Rouge, from Earth. She's one of the people what helped when there was a hurricane not too long ago." The Cat looked back down at Rouge with an almost disdainful glare, and Rouge was half tempted to kick over her chair. "And Rouge this is Angel, she and I've been goin' out fer almost a year now."

"Pleased to meet you," Rouge spoke half with her French accent, and half with her most entrancingly deadly purr. The combination got just the reaction Rouge had hoped for. Angel sat up straighter in her seat and tried to make herself look prettier by making her eyes glow.

"Alex, I have to tell you something." Angel looked at the tan Caat, trying to mimic the uninterested look that Rouge that perfected to an art form.

Alex's ears fell to the sides of her head, and her big eyes looked concerned. Her curved mouth went into a small frown and Rouge's heart twisted strangely. She didn't like it at all when Alex did the little-lost-Kitten-look.

"I think we should see other people." The bar went silent, and attention was focused solely on Angel. Out of the corner of her eye, Rouge saw that Alex was trembling in her coat, and the ghosts all seemed irritated by the red furred Cat.

"W-wh-what?" Those big green eyes were glassy, and there was wateriness to them now.

"I'm breaking up with you. You've been gone too long, and I refuse to put up with you going around with other women." Rouge's fur bristled, and she actually snarled at Angel.

"Angel please! There's _nothing_ between me and Rouge! We're just friends from work!"

Angel's eyes were focused on Alex, but a lurking distain connected the Bat and Cat. The ghosts moved closer around Rouge to help her, and Alex's wings went limb as Angel rose from her seat.

"Angel please!" the Caat was pleading, and the mere sound was enough to make Rouge grab on of the mugs from the bar table.

Angel looked back at Alex from the door.

"My name is Analine."

The bar went into total chaos at this, and as Analine hastened out the door mugs and shouts chased her.

Rouge wanted more than anything to reap revenge on the Cat, but that would only prove the damned animal right. So she sat at the bar with Alex, and wrapped her arms around the Caat as Alex shaking uncontrollably.

Rouge wasn't sure if Alex _could_ cry, and she wasn't in the mood to find out. But, unable to think of anything that might help, the Bat sat on the bar surface and held Alex tightly. The ghosts around them all murmured encouragement to the Caat, who didn't seem to hear any of them.

Getting home was a strange matter. Alex, who was weak and leaning heavily on her cane, still led them to Station Square. Rouge wanted to object, but she felt that there was nothing she could do to help. So, as soon as she saw a familiar street, she took command and helped Alex walk as the Caat got weaker.

Still, by the time they were back in the warm Station, Rouge was more concerned for her own future than Analine.

For nearly a week after Analine's breaking up with Alex, the Caat was almost inconsolable. She was beginning to get dark circles around her eyes, and her fur was losing its shine. But it was the fact that she turned Miles away that got Rouge concerned.

When the young Fox had come up to Alex, his eyes glowing brightly in the sunlit lobby. As Christmas grew nearer, the Team began to take more and more time off, and thus Miles was excited to have more time in the sunlight of the day.

"Alex?" Rouge had been standing with Espio at the other side of the room, and she smiled to herself as the sun glinted off of Miles's golden fur. There was a huge smile on his face, and his big blue eyes were happier than Rouge could ever remember.

Alex turned from the coat hooks, her own eyes so strangely sullen that they seemed to burrow deeper into their sockets. Her ears made barely flinched at the sound of Miles's energetic footsteps or his cheery voice. Before Alex would have made a show of turning to see him, now she busied herself with her coat instead of tossing all other things aside for Miles. If anything, she was acting older than usual, and that was deeply worrying.

Rouge pursed her lips into a small frown, and at the lack of explosive energy from the Caat, Espio looked up at them. Miles looked a bit worried at Alex, but he pushed on in his quest.

"Do you want to go over to the arcade by Fifty-Third Street?" The room went very still. Alex _loved_ going to the arcade, and often would insist that Rouge come along. The Bat looked on at the strange sight before her.

There was Miles, bathed in sunlight with perfect blue eyes that glowed like the full moon, with the white patches of his fur turned a shining silver. And far above him was Alex, her back turned to the sun and her features sullen and grim. Wings at her sides, and tail limb behind her, all the youth she expressed seemed to have finally left her.

For a long time the only movement was from the floating dust about them.

"Ah—I—I can't," Rouge left very weak. Her legs buckled, her head throbbed, and for a moment she felt the room spin rapidly. She felt Espio catch her, and reluctantly Rouge opened her eyes again to the scene.

More than anything she wanted for Alex to be standing mere inches away from her, as the Caat had always done when something like this happened. But no. Alex was looking at Rouge with shaking eyes, but there was no other way to tell that of the Caat's distress. Leaning quickly on Espio before pulling herself up, Rouge tried not to look scornfully at her friend.

"Miss Rouge, are you okay?" Miles's soft voice cut through the still air, and Rouge's heart made a strange lung. If Alex wanted to act this way, fine. But She wouldn't let the Caat hurt the one innocent member of the Team that didn't drive a nail through Rouge's skull.

"I'll be alright." Rouge hoped that Alex was on the same mental channel as she was, because this was going to be the one time that Rouge could give her cover.

Swiftly and silently, Alex hastened out of the building, and when Miles turned back to her, his face fell.

Rouge moved up to the young pup, resting a hand on his shoulder.

"Follow me, Miles, I'll explain everything."

They took a long walk back to the Station, and Rouge explained what had happened to Alex. She was careful the replace the old ghosts with sullen men and women, and the location of the pub changed from Akloria to one of the bar districts downtown, but these things were only minor alterations.

Miles nodded every now and then, but he never questioned Rouge's story. By the time the Bat had finished the tale, they stood in front of the old Station. The sun was still out, but it was getting cold. As Miles rubbed his mittens together, Rouge thought quickly of what to do next.

Remembering that the Station was now full of old tomes in an unearthly language and that Miles had an unusual knack for finding all the books in one place, she led him towards his apartment. She told him an old story that the keeper of her orphanage had instilled in her, and by the end she had woven such images in his mind that Rouge was sure that he would be dreaming of the Giraffe that ate the moon that night.

Rouge didn't wait for Alex to come home. She could disappear all she wanted, but the Bat was sure that Alex would never desert them.

And true enough, two days later Alex returned, if a bit grim. Rouge, who ha made a note to get to Alex before Miles, found the Caat in front of the sliding glass door.

"Hey," the Caat only looked down as herself sullenly. Rouge's ears flicked back on her head, she didn't have the tolerance for this. "Alex, you've got to get over this whole Analine thing." Alex looked at Rouge with great, glassy eyes, and she was holding her cane tightly.

For a long moment they said nothing. Rouge kept a firm and stony watch as Alex seemed to plead silently to her for help.

"Ah—I just…I loved Analine _so_ much. She was everything to me. And I drove her away because I'm too much of a coward to face my own sister!" Alex buried her face in the tall collar of her overcoat, her either body shaking. Rouge's stomach hurt suddenly. She knew, deep down, that she was also responsible for what had happened. The Bat had provoked Analine, and now she was the reason that Alex had been ripping herself apart.

Rouge stole a glance at Alex, before weaseling her way closer to the Caat. True, she had caused this, but she still had the chance to set things right.

Taking one of the taller creatures hands in both of hers, Rouge smoothed her thin fingers over the almost coarse fur. Softly at first, then in a coaxing voice, the Bat cajoled her friend in French, for the words were more natural to her that way. Soon Alex's weight was leaned carefully on Rouge, who stood as straight as possible to hold up her friend.

Rouge, feeling a familiar energy beginning to flow quietly through the Caat, patted her hand, and walked into the headquarters.

Unknown to the Bat, Alex had turned a deep shade of red underneath her thick fur.

"Hey Alex?" Miles was prepared to ask for another trip to the arcade upon Alex's return. It wasn't two days after Rouge had comforted her, and the Caat had yet to get the shine back in her fur, but she was looking better.

"Yeah kiddo?"

"Uh—do you wanna, um—go to the arcade?" His aqua eyes were reluctant to fall on her, but she took no notice of this.

"Uh—Hold up a sec," Alex twisted in her coat, pulled one arm in to find something hidden in her breast pocket. Within a second he withdrew a handful of green bills and was pulling them this way and that until they made a neat stack. Alex held the stack up to her ear, pulled her thumb across the top of the pile, listening as the bills whooshed along. "Sure! I think we can even get a pizza fer afters!" With that, she and Miles had charged out of the door, racing towards the arcade.

"She said it herself! Tails has two mothers!" Amy, who had been M.C.ing the new recruiting ceremony, had found what were probably her own clones and was chattered about her Teammates. It was three days before Christmas, and after pestering Sonic to within an inch of his life, they were recruiting again. Rouge knew he now lived in mortal terror of the idea of finding another Alex by hiring more people, but they needed a larger number of Heroes. After the hurricane and various other escapades, the Team was being called in for everything, and to this end they were starting to actually act like a team.

Seeing this as a disruption to the balance of nature, Rouge had enlisted Knuckles, Vector, Sell, and Espio to get the Hedgehog to agree. Because, lets' face it, who is really going to argue with a Python or a ten foot tall Croc?

And so, with the city wrapped on all sides in a soft blanket of snow, they had the whole of the headquarters packed with recruits.

Rouge had noted that the Ox from before was back, and had seen that the Professor was very awkward around the great thing. Thus, she and Alex never left his side as the recruiting continued.

They were sitting in the back of the men's dorm, at one of the tables set up around the headquarters with Knuckles when Amy had started getting louder than usual. Professor neglected to look up from his paper-back novel, Knuckles rolled his eyes, and Alex was too busy folding a paper-football to notice.

Miles had caught the flu not a week before, and Mrs. Prower now had him on lock-down in their apartment. And thus Amy had exploded with gossip at this new opportunity.

"Rebecca! Didn't you say the Tails has two moms?!" Alex looked up, one ear to the side, as Amy came charging over. The Caat regarded the girl carefully, and flicked her football away quickly.

"I guess, I mean, he's got his real mum, Mrs. Prower. And then his work-mum, me. But I'm more like an Auntie, not a mum." Amy's small face twisted at this, her muzzle furrowing, but Alex was back to her football by the time the Hedgehog's face had finally achieved a look of abject displeasure.

With that, Amy and her clones were off again, and Rouge stood form the table. Everyone looked up as she stood, perhaps because she had been silent for the whole of the morning.

"I need to speak with Amy," the Bat explained, and everyone looked back to what they were doing.

Rouge moved leisurely across the room, approaching the smaller women with long suggestive strides.

"Amy," she tapped the pink thing on the shoulder, purring out the word rather loudly. "Why don't you tell these girls about the time Al—Rebecca punched Sonic?"

Amy's face went pale, her ears flicked in ten different directions, and her thin fingers began to fidget with the air.

"W-Wh-Wha- What a-are you t-talking about Rouge?!" she was quieter than usual, but Rouge was still careful of her powerful ears.

"Oh, I'll tell them, sweety!" The Bat, realizing that she really hated acting like Amy's friend, made a note to wash her mouth out with soap later. The clone seemed enthralled already, and as Rouge pushed past Amy, their too-large-eyes were aglow. "Well, it all started the day we all went in for auditions…"

Surprisingly, Amy never stopped Rouge from telling the story. Perhaps female-dominance was finally taking control, or perhaps the fact that Alex was watching across the room kept Amy from interjecting.

Still by the end of the story, Rouge's reserve for peppiness had long run dry, and the clones were all glaring at Alex in a strange mixture of awe, anger, humor, and interest.

With her stunt for that day completed, and her mind in need of silence, Rouge sat back at the table with Alex, Knuckles, and Professor. She and the Echidna exchanged glances, before they all fell into a calm tranquility that would last until the late afternoon.


	7. Minx the Lynx

**Alright. Now, be warned Amy lovers, I kinda take a couple swipes at little Pinky. Anyway, Christmas has come to Station Square, and I thought it would be fun to see what I could pull out of my brain on the subject. Professor Hemaled has study more deeply in African traditions, and thus he celebrates Quanzah. **

** Rouge and all them lil Heroes belong to SEGA.**

**Professor Hemaled and Alex and Minx the Lynx work in close company with me. **

* * *

The auditions took from the twenty-third to well into the New Year. Since Alex had next to no idea what Earthen holidays were about, Rouge decided that it was best that she be kept away from Amy.

Through all the nonsense of the auditions, Amy had somehow found the time to cover not only the outside of the office, but herself and many of the surrounding beings in Christmas paraphernalia. Rouge, who had always stayed clear of the bouncing pink sugar-ball, had neglected to warn Alex of the danger that was Amy in holiday-mode.

Alex was not religious, not by any means. She did not believe in a God, but her tolerance of others' beliefs had kept her safe this far. However, no matter how mellow she was, Amy's yearly 'convert the scary nonbelievers' ritual was enough to scare Alex away.

"C'mon Alex," Rouge called to the rafter far above.

"No!"

"You'll miss the Professor,"

"No!" the reply was a bit hesitant.

"You'll miss Sell's cooking," For all that he didn't have arms or legs, they made found that the Python was an excellent cook.

"N—No!"

"I'll tell Miles you don't love him."

There was a long pause.

"You wouldn't!"

"Try me."

From high in the ceiling, Rouge saw two glowing gold-green eyes looking straight at her.

"You wouldn't!"

"Alex, you know I mean what I say. Now either come down here or you lose Miles's love forever."

There was another pause.

"You wouldn't!"

Rouge breathed a sigh.

"Alex c'mon. It's Christmas Eve, now come down already!"

She watched the rafter for a long few moments. There was no movement.

"Alright, let's go." Rouge spun around to find Alex standing in her coat waiting by the door.

Had she not known Alex, she would've asked outright, but Rouge was willing to give her friend this one victory. Thus, with but a nod, they moved into the wakening city.

With all the plastic Santa's, angles, nativity scenes, golden plated menorahs, the deep smell of incense, and the beautiful colors of the Quanzah garments, it was far too easy to get lost.

Alex, although estranged by all of it, was caught in the same glossy-eyed enthrallment as the children running along the pavement. It was only by her sheer will power that Rouge was able to get the Caat from entering one of the older shops and buying Miles various parts of old machines.

Finally arriving at the headquarters, Rouge and Alex moved into the inside, only to be welcomed by the must destructive force the two would perhaps ever face;

Amy.

The pink Hedgehog was clad in a brightly flashing red sweater, a green knee length dress with tinsel along the lower hem. She was as intimidating as a shriveled up plum. However it was not her appearance that was frightening, at least not as much as the fact that her voice began to rise with every word she spoke.

"Alex! Rouge," the Bat noted, with a feeling of pride, the Amy almost snarled her name, "How are you two!" with her volume ear-splitting as ever, and her sweater flashing from white to pink to green and then to red, Alex was looking around the entire room for help.

Rouge also looked around her, and although the headquarters had been a madhouse the day before, there was next to no one there now.

But, out of the corner of her eye, the Bat spotted patches of cobalt blue inside what looked like a plaster Christmas tree. She bit back at what Amy had done to Sonic, and went to look for the others.

With no one interesting within the building, Rouge and Alex kept to themselves as much as they could. This proved to be extremely hard as Amy had taken it upon herself to save their souls from 'the badness and rot you have let in.'

Luckily, just as the small and hyper Hedgehog had Alex cornered, a blast of cold air tore into the lobby.

There, with his scarf firmly tied about his neck and his coat flapping darkly in the wind, stood Professor Hemaled. With the light and the white sky pouring around him, Rouge could barely make out his features, but as the doors spun closed again she saw just how he celebrated the holidays.

As he looked at all of them with his normally contented smile, Rouge saw that there hung a long priest's stool that was woven with red, black, yellow, and deep green. He had a number what looked like men's jewelry along his wrists, and a small African inspired hat sat between his long ears.

Amy's face fell, Alex looked at him in awe and desperate need, Rouge smiled to herself, Sonic couldn't see through the tree.

"Sorry I'm late, but the winds been terrible. Now, when should we be expecting the next few people for the auditions?" His normally soft and kind voice was making Amy twitch. Rouge guessed, with another smile, that she had never met someone who celebrated non-Christian holidays.

"Actually," Rouge took a seat in one of the chairs along the walls, "I looked over today's recruits yesterday, and they should all be here by noon." The Professor and Rouge shared a smile, before the older Bat ushered Alex away from Amy.

By the time the clouds had thinned out at noon, the headquarters was as crazy as ever. The Ox, having had his half-a-page-résumé turned down, had hefted his bulk out of the headquarters fro good, to Professor Hemaled's great relief.

However, through the flood of recruits there was little time for such things.

Again, Alex, Rouge, Knuckles, and Hemaled found themselves seated in the corner furthest from the mix of fans and applicants.

Rouge, who had let her mind wander for once, came back to reality when Alex started to frail around in jerky movements. The Caat, who had seen something important, nearly pulled Knuckles across the table in urgency.

The snowy Bat looked all around for the source of the disturbance. She nearly sneered when she saw what it was.

Across the room, standing high over the flood of people, was perhaps the second most beautiful woman Rouge had ever seen. It was a Lynx, with great, glowing pale green eyes. The woman had long, flowing white hair, with pinch black stripes almost woven into the snowy cascade. She had short ear with long black tips, and her lovely face had softly twisting stripes making her look more exotic than Alex herself.

Rouge took an instant dislike to the Lynx. The newcomer was almost as high on the 'Beauty Scale' as Rouge.

"What is she?!" Alex demanded of Knuckles. He had been looking over a list of the recruits, full of similar information that Rouge had answered.

"Uh—she's Minx the Lynx—"

"What an original name," Rouge put in.

"No!" Alex didn't seem to even hear Rouge, and the Bat's fur bristled slightly at this. "What _is_ she, like—you know?"

"Oh—Uh, it says she's bi—"

Knuckles was cut short as Alex pulled him closer, pressing their mouths together.

Rouge tried to keep control, and thus she forced herself into a nearly emotionless state.

Knuckles gasped a shrank away as Alex quickly broke the kiss and ran towards Minx. He sat there, looking at the table as if he thought it would attack him.

"How was it?" Rouge asked in a teasing voice.

"She uses her tongue…" Knuckles squeaked. Rouge smiled meanly to herself, and as she turned to look for Alex, she saw that Professor Hemaled was looking straight at her.

She looked casually back, but inside she wanted to throw something at him. Professor Hemaled raised an eyebrow, almost asking her a silent question, before looking back down at his book.

Unknown to Rouge, they would never speak of the occurrence again.

Rouge turned to look for Alex quickly, and she mentally kicked herself for it. Wincing and closing her eyes for a moment, she sighed so quietly not even Hemaled could hear it.

She found Alex easily, and her ear flicked to hear what the Caat was saying.

Alex had her head pressed between Minx's ears, and a blissful smile on her feline face.

"Your hair smells pretty," She said in a high and delighted voice.

Rouge bit the inside of her lip, she had a bad feeling about Minx.

* * *

By the time Alex and Rouge were heading back to Sea-View Station, and the Caat was talking about was Minx.

Rouge showed how uninterested she saw, but she did this normally, so Alex wouldn't know that she was mad. She wanted to know that there was an answer to her feeling, but she could only think of clichéd reasons. The Bat was willing to tell Alex about her feeling, but she couldn't figure out the right words, and so she stayed silent.

"Sell invited us to his place for Christmas," Rouge tried not to growl, but it was hard.

"That's great!" Alex was always open to free food, and if it was good food all the better. "Wait—no. I thought people spent the holidays with their families?"

"He said they don't like to come up this far north."

"Oh." Alex didn't seem hurt by the fact that Rouge was so short with her, but the Bat was losing her tolerance.

They were silent for the rest of the walk home.

* * *

**I want to clear one thing up here. Rouge is _NOT _jealous. She (in my mind) is a great deal more beautiful than Minx, and will by no means be childish enough to be jealous. No, she doesn't have it for Alex (yet), I just think that she would give another femme-fatal a serious beat-down if one showed up. Anyway, R&R plz!  
**


	8. Christmas with the Caat

**Well, here we are at chapter 8... You know the usual stuff..**

**Alex and Professor hang with me, everyone else belongs to SEGA**

* * *

Rouge, now wary of the ivory new comer, felt she was no longer needed with the applicants. She was, however, focused on maintaining her friendship with Alex.

The Bat knew the signs of a weakening relationship, and was relived to see none of them in Alex or herself. But still she was careful, for she knew she would need Alex when the time came that she remembered. So, while keeping a close eye on the Caat, Rouge tried to keep from acting angry with her friend.

Alex, having never experienced Christmas Day, needed Rouge's help to think up an excuse for not having gifts for her Teammates. In truth, Rouge hadn't gotten the others anything either, but it wasn't the same for Alex. The Caat had the nature to forget small things, but she couldn't get away with forgetting Christmas.

"Rougie, you gotta help, I can't do this kinda mess on my own!" Alex was following her friend closely as the Bat busied herself with finding the right outfit for that evening.

"Alex, it's easy," Rouge replied, her sapphire eyes examining each of the make-up bottles she had placed on the dresser. "Just don't change your story too much." She added, looked at the mirror over the dresser with a vial of purple make held up beside her ivory cheek.

"But I'm not good at lying!" The Caat whined, and Rouge turned to face her. Clad in only a silky red skirt and a black bra, the Bat almost felt sorry for Alex. It wasn't everyday that the Caat got chewed out by a topless woman. The taller woman went red, and Rouge could see that Alex was trying her best to keep their eyes locked.

"Alex your whole life on Earth is a lie," the instant the words left her mouth, Rouge regretted them. Luckily, Alex didn't seem to realize that it sounded like an insult. "You just have to tell them you were busy, that's all."

"But they all know I wasn't busy."

"Then tell them the truth." Rouge thought of this as a joke, as well as a last ditch effort to fix everything. Alex, it seemed, saw it as a good idea.

"That's a great idea Rougie!" Rouge's ears fell to the side of her head, and she breathed a sigh.

"Alex that was a joke." The Caat looked at Rouge now, her eyes able to focus of the Bat's face.

"Oh," Alex said, not defeated, but as if she was still considering the idea of fessing up. Rouge rolled her eyes as she turned back to her make-up.

"I'll take care of all this, but you'll need to agree with whatever I say, alright?" Rouge said, delicately sweeping mascara over her long lashes.

"Okay, but do we have time to go out of the town before we get to Sell's place?"

Rouge paused, and looked into the mirror to see Alex looking at her.

"Why would we do that?"

Alex's ears flicked around for a moment, as Rouge could just see her go red under her dirty blonde fur.

"No reason, I just kinda wanted to go out…" Rouge smiled, Alex really was bad at lying. She finished with her lashes, screwed the top onto the brush, and turned back to Alex. We'll have time as soon as I can finish with my outfit, alright?"

"Great!"

Rouge, done up with lipstick the color of a shining amethyst and clad in her silky shirt and black halter top, strode alongside Alex through the streets. Sell's apartment, which neither of them had ever seen, was supposed to be to the southern edge of the city. This meant it was only a few blocks away from the older shops and restaurants. The Bat pulled up the collar of her new white coat, which wasn't a far stretch from the silly fur one Amy had, and kept pace with her tall friend.

"Hey Rougie,"

"Yeah?"

"If you were a jewel or stone, which kind would you be?"

Rouge thought for a moment, pondering what the Caat was really asking.

"I dunno, maybe a pearl or a ruby."

They kept walking for a moment. Alex looked into a shop window, which was full of out motors and had a fading neon sign that read 'Ray's Vacuums and Circuits'. The Caat looked down on Rouge, who had stopped walking.

"Oh, go ahead. I'll meet you at Sell's apartment." Rouge sighed, contentedly. Alex smiled, and bent down towards Rouge. The Caat paused for a moment, before giving the Bat a quick peck on the cheek and hurrying into the old shop. Rouge smiled after her, before continuing down the street.

The whole of Sell's building was given over to Reptiles, and ever lamp or bulb in the complex gave off heat. Rouge, having thought this was the case, was glad that she hadn't dresses in layers. As she moved up into the Python's apartment, room number 127, she could heard laughter coming from the room.

The door was unlocked, and as she entered, she saw Knuckles and Vector laughing at whatever they had been saying.

She looked around quickly, seeing a table, chairs, two bookshelves and a revolving door that looked to move into a kitchenette.

"Hey Rouge!" Vector said, smiling toothily at her, as was his way. This was the first time Rouge had seen him without his layers of coats, and she realized that he was going to lose some weight in the future.

"Hey guys,"

"So, what's up with yous all?" she was sure that the Crocodile had a Brooklyn accent, even though she had only ever heard the reinforced stereotypes of it.

"Nothing much, what about you?"

"Nothing." Vector was lying, because he had spoken too quickly, and his eyes were scanning the room. Rouge knew all the rules for lying, and Vector was breaking most of them. Racking her brain for anything that he could lie about, she thought of Charmy. The little Bee had been adopted by Vector and Espio, but Rouge couldn't be sure this was what Vector was thinking of. She let him slid.

"So where is everyone?"

Knuckles thumbed towards the kitchenette, his mouth momentarily full of grapes.

Rouge moved over to the door, and pushed it open just enough for her to slip inside. Professor Hemaled, Miles, and Sell were all working away around the room, all of them chattering happily.

"Professsor, could you passs me the whissk," The Python hissed from atop the counter.

"Of course," Professor held the whisk out to Sell, who wrapped his tail firmly around it and thanked him.

"Oh, hi Miss Rouge!" Miles had spotted her, and he gave her a quick hug.

"Hey Miles,"

"Ah, Miss Rouge. Happy Christmas Eve." Professor Hemaled gave her a smile, while Sell nodded shortly before wrapping himself around a bowl of egg yokes and deftly whisking.

"Hey guys!" came Alex's voice from the other room. There were murmured hellos, before the big Caat came into the kitchenette. She was laden with several bags, ranging from out plastic things to glossy rope handled department store bags. Miles broke into a grin, while Sell twisted around just enough to see Alex. Professor Hemaled held a hand up to his gray mustache to hide a laugh.

"Hey peoples!"

"Hey Alex!" Miles half jumped on her, and Alex nearly fell back with all her spoils.

The evening was wonderful. Rouge was soon immersed in the happy chatter, warm smells from the kitchenette, and the trading of storied amongst them all. Sell, busy in the kitchenette, said very little, but the aroma of what he cooked said everything for him. Rouge waiting with high expectations for what was being cooked, while Alex was content to help with the meal.

"… and then you just add in the nitroglycerin, and that's how you make an explosive bread pudding." Professor Hemaled explained, to Miles and Alex's delight. Rouge held back a laugh, moving back into the main room. Espio had appeared (literally) and he and Vector were discussing something in low voices. Knuckles had nearly demolished the blow of grapes, but he was in good spirit nonetheless.

"Ah crap," Alex and Miles came into the room, and the Caat was looking at the clock. "I has gots to get you home Miles. Yer ma'am'll kill me if you're late."

"Aww man." Miles looked at the floor, and Alex threw Rouge a look. The Bat shrugged, and Alex looked back at Miles.

Knuckles and Vector looked on with the kind of amusement you see on the faces of people watching a soap opera. Rouge wanted to punch them, but she resisted the urge.

"Hold up a sec," Alex twisted around in her coat, as if reaching into an inner pocket.

A second later she withdrew what looked like a vacuum engine.

"Hey, buddy." Alex poked Miles on the head, until he looked up at the hopeless mass of cogs and wires. Rouge bit back a laugh when he gasped and grabbed it from Alex with bright eyes. "I thought you'd like it." The Caat said triumphantly. Miles, his joy with the strange present having stolen his voice, only hugged Alex's long legs.

Rouge could only smiles as the pair moved out of the apartment after they had been thoroughly wished a 'Merry Christmas'. The Bat watched happily, before sitting beside Knuckles and joining in with the chatter. Rouge wasn't sure why she was so happy, she was all too conscious that none of it was really real. For all she knew, she had spent this Christmas in her too small apartment. Thinking on this for only a moment, Rouge drove this thought from her mind and returned to the conversation. Real or not, she was in too deep to think of running now. Besides it was Christmas Eve, being sad would do her nothing at all.

* * *

"It's alright Alex, I understand," Rouge understood alright. She just wished she didn't care.

"But I feel horrible about it, is there anything I can do to make it up to you?" Alex said from across the room, her ears down and her wings almost cocooning her body.

"Don't feel bad, it's nothing." The all too common misconception about Rouge was that she was a fast healer. This was not the case, not by a long shot. The Bat was not a fast healer, and especially not when it came to her heart. The only reason people thought she had some kind of therapeutic power was that she next to never let herself be hurt. And this was her reason for trusting so few people.

"Rougie… I just…… Are you sure you're okay with it?" the Caat asked weakly.

_No, you fucking bought that Minx a necklace with a stone the size of her fucking brain!_

"I'm okay with it Alex." Rouge didn't make eye-contact. Alex did look like she could take it anyway.

"I just…I'm sorry Rougie…"

"Don't think about it, Alex."

* * *

**Oh boy... yeah I know. I promised no angsty stuff but this had to happen, alright? Alright... don't worry, I'll fix it. smiles and thumbs up  
**


	9. Shadow

**Alright, long and very much awaited, but here it is. Now, there is a song that is sung in about the middle of the story, so I'll give you the link to the video it comes from in my ending remarks. This part also starts up Professor Hemaled's love life, with a certain person who shall remain unnamed. If you don't like Professor Hemaled or the fact that he's a proud gay man, be good and go away. If not, then please to enjoy this chapter!**

**All characters held within (except for Alex, Sell, Professor Hemaled, and Minx) belong the SEGA. **

**Oh, and before I go, Alex has something she would like to say to all you Shadow fans;**

**"Look at that lil' guy! Wif 'is gelled up head, he done got his self a whole chapter named after him! Ain't that just skippy!"**

* * *

She knew she could mask any emotion. It was very important that she could do this, especially when she was sneaking around high security banks. But Rouge was finding it was becoming harder and harder to keep her displeasure hidden form Alex. The Bat knew well how to switch anger with joy, despair with rage, pride with jealousy, but she had never lied to a friend like this. Or, more, she had never gotten close her whoever she was lying to.

Minx was a constant headache, and when Rouge had tried to tell Alex about her girlfriend, the Lynx had stolen Alex away. Having another fem-fatal around was making Rouge unusually angry. Amy would've never posed a threat to Rouge's dominance in the Team, but with a beautiful newcomer the Bat's standing seemed in jeopardy.

However, Rouge was far above the Lynx, and she wouldn't stoop to that level or romantic treachery. Theft and getting into a rich man's will, these were all good uses of feminine wiles, but to create a void between the mark and their friends was stupid and unprofessional. The Bat spent her time away from Alex and Minx, and she kept from letting the subject come up at the Station.

So, her social life had turned to Knuckles, Vector, Sell, Professor Hemaled, and Espio. And, or course, the resumes of the applicants. Yes, they were still coming in, and they were of worse quality than those preceding them, which took a good bit of effort.

Rouge flipped absently through the resumes, only glancing at the names.

"Miss Rouge, don't you think you should actually _read _what the applicants say?" Professor Hemaled asked, his normally calm voice mingled with the slightest bit of distaste.

"No. I've figured out a trick to the names. See, if they have these little quotation marks in their names, they're no good." Rouge said, showing one of the papers to the Professor.

"Hmm…" he looked at his own report mildly, his eyes moved quickly behind his glasses. "You may have something there."

"Hey guys!" Rouge's ears flicked up. Alex?

She looked up, and sure enough there was the Caat, a big smile on her feline face.

"Where's Minx?" Rouge looked back at her papers.

"Oh, she's got the…the…flow? Is that what it's called?" Rouge smiled inside.

"You mean the _flu_?" Professor offered.

"That's it," Alex said, pointing to him with her hand making a pistol. He nodded, and Rouge looked up at the Caat in the closest thing to happiness she was willing to show.

"Hmm. Miss Rouge, what would you do if the name listing is just one word?"

"What?" Professor Hemaled showed her a paper that had 'Shadow' written in a neat black ink at the top. Rouge thought of the black Hedgehog, and wondered what he had been doing for so long.

Alex looked at the paper to, reading the description, it seemed.

"Hey, I saw a guy like that out in the lobby, you want me to go get him?" Rouge looked up at the Caat, who was thumbing back into the crowded lobby.

"Yeah, bring him in here. I'll get Sonic, so we can see if this guy gets in"

Rouge moved off into the further reaches of the building. She knew that Sonic would either be charming the newcomers or sitting on his ass, and she was pretty sure he was too lazy to charm anyone at that point.

She pushed open a door at random, then another and another, until she found the Hedgehog reading a magazine with a scantily clad girl on the cover.

"Hey, we got someone you should meet."

Sonic looked up, his face smeared with a film hot-dog grease. Rouge bit back a comment, and followed the Hedgehog back to the entrance. Alex was nowhere to be seen, but Professor Hemaled was clearing off the table they had been at, so that the applicant would have more room.

Rouge sat and moved some papers aside, Professor sitting beside her and Sonic to his side.

"Who's 'Shadow' guy anyhow?" Sonic asked, looking mildly at the paper.

"He's British, small time I figure." Rouge could've slapped herself for speaking. How the hell could she say that? She was blow now, they'd find out she knew Shadow, and Alex would have to leave and Rouge still didn't know if she was going to get back to her own time! Damn it all!

"Miss Rouge? You read his profile before I did?" Professor Hemaled asked with his usual amount of curiosity. At once Rouge felt that she could've kissed the old Bat, if not for his…preferences more towards men.

"Oh, yes. I guess I put it into your pile by mistake. I didn't think too much of it when I saw it first." The Professor nodded quickly, smiling warmly. Rouge sighed inwardly and pushed more papers away from the surface of the table. She was safe for now.

"Alright then, I guess." Sonic looked off into the middle distance.

Rouge glanced around for Alex, but the Caat was not to be seen. The silence that falls over a group that doesn't necessarily like one of its members fell over the three, until a shrill squeak broke the awkward peace.

"Hi Sonic! Rouge, Mister Warren!" The back of Rouge's neck burned for a moment, and she saw Professor Hemaled wince on the one side of his face. Amy.

"Miss Amy." The black Bat said with forced politeness.

"Heh." Rouge thought that was enough to entertain Amy until she could think of a proper way to dismiss the Hedgehog.

Amy sat beside Sonic, pulling her chair closer to him so she wouldn't have to see the two Bats.

"Whatcha waitin' for?" She was trying to be pleasant, and at the same time appeal to Sonic by copying his grammar. Rouge almost felt sorry for the inexperienced girl. Almost.

Professor glanced at the two Hedgehogs, before he leaned over to Rouge.

"Miss Rouge, Shadow's nationality wasn't stated in his profile. I thought you might want to know that." Rouge looked at the older Bat, her eyes wider than they should've been and her lips drawn into a thin, grim line. Professor Hemaled looked at her over the silvery top of his glasses, before flashing her his warm smile again and looking towards the tall form approaching them from the lobby.

Rouge couldn't think, she was actually scared and she couldn't think when that happened. Still she looked at Alex, and for a moment she was drawn from her thoughts of her failure as a liar. The Caat was holding something around her neck, something that looked like the arms of a tattered black leather jacket. The arms looked like they were trying to squeeze around Alex's neck, but the Caat's hands kept them from tightening. Just over Alex's shoulder, a red and black, furry spine could be seen, and the edges of an angry snarl were visible.

"Hey! Bluie!" Sonic reluctantly turned from Amy to Alex, and almost yelped when all he saw were hands trying to strangle her. Alex, not noticing the attempt on her life, was happy to introduce the two Hedgehogs.

"Sammy, I was lookin' through the recruits and tripped over this guy. And I figured since you were both Hedgehogs, you'd get on pretty well, so here—" Alex, grabbing the now kicking Shadow by his wrists, bent double and flipped him off. The Hedgehog landed awkwardly, and tried to figure out what had just happened to him. She grasped his shoulders, roughly, and hauled him up properly onto his feet.

Shadow shot her a quick look, before straightening his jacket and focusing his gaze on Sonic.

Rouge had never truly seen a 'death glare' until that moment. The two Hedgehogs looked so disgusted with each other that it was amazing they didn't attack. Alex, estranged by the action, dared not move, while Amy squirmed uncomfortably.

Sonic stood with daggers in his eyes and moved over to Shadow. His heroic demeanor was unable to contend with Shadow's ever darkening glare, and he blinked first, before walking past. In a perfect world the blue Hedgehog's shouldering his rival as he stormed past would've lead to the challenge he had expected but, luckily, Station Square was not perfect.

All Shadow had to say to such nonsense was the growled word, "berk". Alex beamed at the word, and elbowed her new 'special friend', cackling to herself. Rouge guessed that the Caat knew how to speak cockney.

"Hi! I'm Amy Rose, what's your name?!" Alex looked down at Amy with a light in her eyes, and she jumped in front of Shadow before he could answer.

And that was when Alex started to sing;

"Heeee! Feels no pain, he can fly quite fast, in feats of strength he is unsurpassed! His grip is firm, never quivering! Britannia's super hero, he's Lord Bravery! Lord Braavery! Lord Braaavery! Lord Braaaaaaaa—aavery!"

Several people were looking at them now, and Alex stood between Amy and Shadow with her hands up to the ceiling and a huge grin on her face. Too many old cartoons, far too many. Alex would no longer be allowed to look at old television shows to understand Earthen living. Of that Rouge was now sure.

Amy tried to inch around the awkward moment.

"Is that really your name?"

"No, my name is—" Shadow started, clearly irritated.

"Hee—" Alex began.

"Shadow! My name is Shadow." The black Hedgehog had his red eyes blazing now.

Amy looked at them all strangely, and she moved away.

As the four watched Amy charge after her obsession, a familiar black figure appeared in the corner of Rouge's vision. Professor Hemaled stood up and moved over to Shadow, his eyes flicking all around.

Professor Hemaled took about five steps out of character as he stared at Shadow. Rouge saw the edges of his silver mustache curl up suddenly, and his tie had a strange lunge under his neat gray sweater. The older Bat quickly smoothed down his mustache and patted his tie down, before moving closer with a very gentlemanly manner.

Shadow, whose eyes had now flicked to the Professor, reddened under his tan, and Alex beamed even more. Professor Hemaled, his skill at lying surfacing once more, introduced himself politely, shaking Shadow's hand quickly before pulling Alex aside.

Rouge, now more than entertained by the show before her, watched as the black Hedgehog shot the Professor another cursory glance. Again Shadow blushed under his tan, and the Bat could only guess at what he was thinking. She bit back a snicker when Shadow's eyes quickly flicked over the Professor's back.

Just as Rouge thought the scene couldn't get anymore awkward, Alex came striding back to the Hedgehog.

"Professor has to go help his auntie move."

"Alex, Professor Hemaled has all the physical strength of a kiwi, and how do we even know that he has an aunt?" Rouge loved every minute of this new topic, but her mind was whirling as she tried to figure out a new lie to cover for her pervious slip up.

"Rougie, you know that when your auntie wants you to help her move you has gots to do it. It's one of the laws of the universe. No one can say 'Naah Auntie Liz, I gotta thing that day'. It's physically impossible, is all." She crossed her arms as she finished, Professor Hemaled slipping out of the room behind her.

"Uh… could one of you tell me who the ruddy hell you are?" Shadow still hadn't gotten over being flipped around, despite the fact that Professor Hemaled had been a great distraction for the Hedgehog's anger.

"I'm Rouge the Bat, pleased to meet you." Rouge shook Shadow's gloved hand, smiling with her eyes shining with a practiced light. The Hedgehog looked at her evenly, obviously he wasn't interested in the Bat the way most people were.

"An' I'm Alexandra Kpacotka." Rouge had been wondering about Alex's last name, and still she pondered whether that was the Caat's real name. It sounded like it was Russian…

Shadow regarded the Caat, making his eyes look cold and tormented. Rouge, confident that two could handle things from there for at least a few moments, decided to go help Professor Hemaled 'help his aunt move'.

She moved out into the clear late-winter air, and looked up and down the street. Professor Hemaled wasn't a quick as some old men, and the wind was blowing fiercely, so he couldn't have gotten too far. Rouge turned around to keep the wind from pulling at her wings, even if they were too small to lift her. As her sapphire eyes probed the street for the old Bat, they fell on the tall form moving carefully around a pile of brown slush that had overflowed its gutter.

From where she stood, the Professor barely looked like himself. His arms were holding his coat tightly around him, and his wings were tucked close to his back. With ears back and his head down, the Professor seemed to actually be _old_.

Rouge's mind stopped. She realized then and there that Professor Warren G. Hemaled was an old man, and seeing him across the street showed her that he may not be long for this world. The Bat had never fully seen Professor as an old man; kind, yes, witty, yes, cunning, yes, careful, yes, neat, yes. But old…

A cold spike pierced through her chest, and Rouge felt horrible for being mad at the old man. She had never seen him as an actual friend, more over she had made herself forget him. And now she watched him as if it were nothing, as if it weren't one of the last times she would see Professor Hemaled…

Rouge hurried across the street, reaching the Professor just before he could turn a corner and disappear from her view for what might be the last time.

"Miss Rouge, what are you doing here?" His mustache whipped strangely in the wind, and he pressed two fingers to the silvery hairs to keep them all in place. Rouge smiled at how fussy he was about his whiskers.

"I wanted to tell you about how I knew Shadow." She began, not really planning on telling him the truth. It was far too fantastic for him to believe, but she could tell him something similar, like she and Shadow meeting each other once, or something along those lines.

Professor Hemaled held up his free hand, his coat flapping around as best it could with all its buttons done up.

"No, don't tell me. I don't want to know how you know him, and I don't want to know how you know Miss Alex. Please, don't tell me." He looked at her with his gray eyes focused on her as if she weren't there.

"W-what?"

"Don't tell me how you know Miss Alex or Shadow. Or even how you came to be here, that would ruin all this for me. Miss Rouge, you may not have noticed this but I've seen how you and Miss Alex look at each other from time to time. I've seen the way you're always looking at the calendars, like you're waiting for something. Miss Rouge, don't tell me what's going on, that would ruin the mystery for it all. I don't want to know about you, or Miss Alex, or any of the little secrets you two have hidden away between you. I couldn't be less interested with that, so, please, don't tell me."

Rouge blinked. Then again and again. Professor Hemaled just stood there, smiling warmly under his hand. She could never remember meeting such a sweet old man.

"Alright then." She smiled happily, feeling safe with those hard gray eyes on her. Professor Hemaled took one of her hands in both of his.

"You promise?" He raised his silvery eyebrows the way Alex would, almost jokingly.

"Yes, I promise." Rouge said, the wind pushing her ivory hair about roughly.

"Good, I'll see you tomorrow then." Professor said, releasing her hand and turning back down the street.

"Alright! I'll see you tomorrow!" Rouge called after him, hoping that she would with all her heart.

* * *

**I love Professor Hemaled, I really do. He's just a nice old man, and you have to respect that about him. smile anyhoo, you read through Alex's little song and I would like to say that it doesn't belong to me, but to Warner Bros. the link to the cartoon it comes from is below (as promised). I hope that you like the little chip as much as I do, and you might see some similarities between Lord Bravery and our Shadow. Hmmm...**

/watch?vnbGuu1OK4qY&featurerelated

**Enjoy this lovely, yet forgotten, cartoon in peace! You'll have to put '' before you put this into your computers. It would seem that denies me the pleasure of doing this the easy way and has cut the link clean in half.  
**


	10. Spring you say?

**Well, this came to me when (due to a bit on insomnia) I was up all night writing for my various stories. It's a short thing, but I hope it will keep you all ready for things to come!**

**Rouge belongs to SEGA ect.ect.ect.**

**Alex the Caat belongs to Alex the Caat**

* * *

Rouge breathed the cool wind into slowly, standing outside the Station as she waited for Alex to get herself together. The Bat felt more peaceful outside the old train station when Alex was hurrying around trying to get everything she needed. Whatever it was about Alex, she certainly wasn't used to the hours of night and day on Earth. She would sleep late and curse to herself when she swung down from her rafter and had to run around to get ready.

Her eyes were closed as Rouge drank in the sounds of morning in the city. Taxi horns already rang out around her, and the doors from neighboring streets and buildings were opening and closing as people began to creep out of the safety of their tenements into the cool morning. As she breathed the crisp air in, deep into her lungs, Rouge could swear she smelled something over the dull odor of industry.

"Alright! Let's get gone!" Alex erupted out of the train station, breaking Rouge's calm. The Bat's hand stopped her friend before she could advance upon the steps and onto the street, and Rouge opened her showily made-up eyes to look at the Caat.

"Wait a moment. Can you smell something?" Alex looked around, sniffing loudly in every direction. Rouge watched her, breathing in the unfamiliar sent again.

"Uh… wait—yea—no. Well—hold on I almost got something there. It's smells like… like…"

"Like Spring." Rouge put in, her face brightening as she watched Alex. The Caat looked at her strangely. "You know, Spring, flowers, baby animals, sunshine, kinda rainy?"

"Oh! You mean 'Laisha'. Yeah, now that you mention it, it does smell like the seasons are a-turnin'!" Alex smiled, her arm finding it's way around Rouge's shoulders.

"'Laisha'?" Rouge was willing to bite.

"Yeah, you know, flowers, baby animals, sunshine, kinda rainy," Alex smiled again at her own joke, and Rouge couldn't help letting her lips curve up at how goofy the Caat was being this morning.

"Well, on Earth, Spring can also bring on lots of big changes." Rouge said, matter-of-factly, as they descended the steps. Alex looked at her expectantly, her big eyes glowing.

Yes, there were big changes ahead, and little did Rouge know that she would soon be in the middle of an argument that would define her entire reality and being.


	11. Love is a dish best served with oranges

**Hiya friends! How are you? I'm great! Off for twoo weeks! Oh yes! Two weeks!  
**

**On another note, I would like to say that I have no intention of ending WMAH or any other story, so don't get your hopes up that I'll be stopping any time soon!  
**

**So, for all you who have been waiting so patiently, here is the next chapter!  
I don't own the characters, by Alex doesn't belong to SEGA.**

**Have fun!  
**

* * *

"Hey Alex," Rouge's ears went down at the sound of Minx's voice. The Bat didn't move from her seat at the small wroth iron table. Her hands tightened around her cup of coffee, and she stared away from the voice.

"Yea, hon?"

"Get me a double mocha."

"Alright." Alex got up from the table, and turned into the coffee shop they were sitting in front of. As her wings disappeared inside the small store, Minx and Rouge locked eyes. The Bat tried not to glare, but the effort was exhausting her will. Minx didn't try.

"Nice top," Rouge was trying to break the ice between them for the umpteenth time. She looked at Minx's chest; her collarbone and the beginnings of her boobs exposed while her neck and shoulders were covered up. To tell the truth, she did look kinda good.

"Thanks," Minx sounded smug, and puffed herself up.

"It'd look better on me, though," Rouge said, taking a triumphant and nonchalant sip from her coffee.

Minx went back the glaring. Rouge allowed herself to look listlessly around for a moment, enjoying her victory and warm air in her fur. Spring was finally blooming, and the snow was draining away into the gutters. She sipped on her coffee again, the warm liquid keeping the few cold winds from chilling her.

"Dyke."

Rouge was barely able to swallow.

"What did you call me?" Her cup slammed back down on the tabletop.

"You heard me. You fucking dyke."

"Oh looks who's talking."

"Please, I'd rather fuck that fag Vector then Big Miss Caat. But if she's gonna keep coughin' up rocks like this," Minx lad a hand on the necklace Alex had gotten her for Christmas. It was made of a thin silvery string that was laden with small rubies. "I'll keep her around."

Rouge shot up from her seat, slammed her hands palm down on the table, and leaned towards Minx.

"You fucking bitch! You don't even care about her, do you?!"

Minx wrinkled her flat nose.

"No. Why should I?"

Rouge was breathing heavily now. She stood straight up, worked up a spit, and spat on the center gem on Minx's necklace. Before the Lynx could react, the Bat spun around a stormed off.

As she was about to round the corner, Rouge looked back and saw Alex emerging from the coffee shop, and looking sad and confused at the Bat's absence.

That night, as Rouge lay on the small bed and looked up into the darkness, she wondered if she should go for a walk. It was a good idea, she could always use some exercise.

She didn't move.

Alex hadn't come home to the Station, and Rouge hadn't seen her since she'd left the coffee shop. The Bat had a sick feeling in her gut. She told herself again that she'd screwed up royally, and her guts lunged again at the thought. What did she do now? Alex was the only person who could get her out of her memories. Did she just wait around until she woken up back in her apartment?

She replayed the whole thing in her mind. It was Minx's fault. All of it. The Lynx was cruel and self-centered and manipulative and…and…

Rouge turned over in the bed, onto her stomach, and tried for a few moments to smother herself in the pillow. She lay there, in the darkness of the abandoned train station, the only one thought going through her mind. She was like Minx. In fact, she and the Lynx were nearly the same. Beautiful, strong willed, smart, self absorbed, greedy, clever, calculating…

But Rouge had a heart. She knew she did. She felt it beating inside as she lay there. It would lurch whenever she saw Knuckles doing something stupid and deadly. It would fly into her thought whenever she was stealing something. It would skip a beat or two when Alex would throw her long arms around her.

She had a heart. So what had happened to it?

Her ears laid flat on the back of her head, and she folded her small wings over her back. Her fingers curled up around the covers on the old mattress, and she felt a tear running down her cheek, then down her nose, and onto the pillow.

She laid there and let the night wash over her. She didn't care anymore. She wanted to leave now, and forget Alex all over again. It wasn't worth all this. She'd just go on like nothing had happened. It'd be simple.

Rouge closed her wet eyes and pulled the blanket around her wings.

A week. A week and two days. A week and half. A week and six days.

She pulled her old, too big, dull brown coat on. It still smelled like Alex. A weird, flowery, musky, candy and oranges and fresh dirt smell. It fit over her wings so they weren't cold. She stepped outside. It wasn't really cold enough for a coat. She thought about taking it off but just stepped on the sidewalk instead.

No fancy looks today. Jeans, casual heels (just barely an inch), scarf that matched a simple red V-neck. The coat threw off the whole look, the way Alex threw Rouge off. She liked the coat with the outfit, it made sense to her.

Walking down the junky spotted street, bumping into a fat human and win a twenty from his pocket. She looked like a mouse without her wings out. This passed her brain and she forgot it with another step. Caats and Mice didn't mix, she was sure.

No 'Help Wanted' sign outside of the Heroes Building. That was either very good or very bad. The revolving door _'shhhhh'_ed open. She stepped into the warmth of the building and thought about taking her coat, not Alex's coat, her coat, off. She didn't take her hands out of the pockets, and instead fingered her new twenty-dollar bill.

"Thomas Jefferson?" Miles.

"Uh… Yah, you're right kiddo!" ––

"Hello, Miss Rouge. I was wondering when you'd be back." Rouge looked up at Professor Hemaled from her view of the fold of her coat and the floor tiles.

"Hi."  
The older Bat gave a smile the made his eyes sad. Rouge closed her teeth on the inside of her lip. She walked passed him, offering a "Good to see you" that he didn't reply to.

"Who came up with the radio?" That voice again.

"Uh… who originally or famously?" Miles again.

"Whatcha mean?" Again, Rouge walked towards the voice, it was through the doorway to her left.

"Who invented it orginially, or who got famous for it?"  
"Uh… both?"  
Only a few more steps and she'd be able to see the two. She stopped moving.

"Right… Uh… Nikola Tesla….Oliver Lodge and….. John Stone. Those were the original ones. Marchese Guglielmo Marconi got famous by using their ideas."  
Rouge heard someone move behind her, and smelled Old Spice and something like mustache wax.

"Uh… I'mmana say you're right wif de first three, and Marconi is what it says here. Ya li'l super genius." Rouge heard a child's laughter and fur being rustled.

"Miss. Rouge," She jumped at how close Hemaled was to her, she should have noticed him. Dammit! "What I do now I know you'll be grateful for later, but I'll apologize now just it case."

"Wha—" She felt an old hand pressed on her wings and send her stumbling through the doorway. Her heels clacked against the tile floor, and she half turned to yell at Hemaled, but he was already gone.

"Whoad!" The voice was behind her and big mannish hands caught her arms as she almost fell back. Rouge felt herself be pulled up to her feet and saw Miles's head to her right. His hair messed up, like someone had rustled his hair around. The kid looked nervous. "Easy there, baby."

Her heart skipped.

She stepped away from the voice and turned, focusing on Miles and not looking at the big brown thing in the corner of her eye.

"H-Hey kid." She said in one breath. The kid waved awkwardly, maybe thrown off by the coat. Her coat.

"Hello, Miss Rouge." God, he was starting to talk like Hemaled.

"Uh…" Aqua eyes inched towards the big brown thing, she needed Miles to leave _now_. "I think Professor Hemaled w-wanted ta talk with ya—kid."  
"Oh," He looked around her, she bit her lip and knew it was screwing with her lipstick. "Okay." And the Fox walked out.

Rouge kept her head down at the tiles and her coat as she clacked across the room, around the big brown thing. She saw a couple of chairs and a discarded paper-back 'General Information'. Trying to gauge the distance between the chairs and Alex, she took the one that was farthest away and sat down heavily.

There was silence as Rouge inspected the folds of her coat, which was hers and only hers. Her wings hurt a little but she didn't want to rip the seams by flexing them, she'd have to buy a new coat from… wherever she'd bought this one. Because she had bought this one.

Someone sat down in the other chair, someone who wore black slacks and steel toed boots. Rouge prayed to God it was Knuckles and looked up.

Knuckles didn't have big dark brown wings.

No eye contact, just a glance at that sandy brown, mannish, ugly-for-a-woman-,-never-going-to-be-pretty face. She looked back down and sighed out the full contents of her lungs.

"You sure said it, babe." Rouge's ears pricked up at Alex's voice, it was involuntary. "I thought you got sick from the coffee," She heard fur rustle again, and thought about looking up again. She chickened out. "So I told Minx we should follow you," Her eyes moved around in her head, but she couldn't see Alex. "She said you'd called me some shit that don't sound lak somefing ya'd say," Rouge noticed that Alex had an accent. How'd she miss that? "But I believed her, and we had an nice evein'."  
Rouge waited for more. Alex liked to talk, so why wasn't she talking? She waited. Nothing. It was her turn to speak.

"Okay."

Alex sighed now, but didn't get up and leave like Rouge thought she would.

"So, ya wanna add anythin' ta dat?"

"You gonna listen?"  
"Pra'bly."

"Okay…" She waited for words to come. Nothing. She made some up and hoped they said what she wanted them to. "She… said some stuff… about you, about me… I told her off… I think I did… and I spat at her… and left."  
"You was raised by nuns, right?"

"Yeah," A blind answer, involuntary, instinctive.

"You musta got whooped by them, way ya answer questions. They used them rulas back den, right?"  
Rouge started to laugh in a breathless, remembering way.

"Yeah. One of 'em used to get me here," she thrust out her arm to show a reddened spot on her wrist. "She _hated_ me. I used to always steal her chalk or paper or whatever. And she'd get me here." She pointed to the spot, and lifted her head. There the Caat was, no older than she'd been at the coffee-shop, shaggy sandy hair, big triangle ears, long face with big green eyes that almost made the face pretty. The smile was gone, but Rouge could see the corner of her mouth was itching to move up.

"Figures." Rouge withdrew her arm, but didn't look down again.

"So where's Minx?" She didn't actually want to know. But it was polite to ask.

"Out gettin' lunch."

"Lunch? Now?"  
"Well, I dunno why she'd want it now either, but it is lak, one in da afta-noon, babe." Rouge threw a glance at the clock on the wall, it was one. She'd slept in…

"So what're we gonna do?"  
"What we always do. I go wif Minx, and ya do yer thang."  
"Okay." She arranged her coat around her shoulders. "Hey Alex?" She stood up.

"Yeah?"  
One step closer, another, another. Rouge bent at the waist to get closer as Alex sat in front of her. She parted her lips and leaned in. Candy and oranges and dark molasses. Fuzzy brown face and almost-pretty eyes, cute shaggy hair and too-big shoulders. No hands, no tongue, no gems or money or power. Just candy and oranges and dark molasses. Rouge had never been able to taste someone before. She liked this.

One step back, and she stood up straight. Alex was smiling for real this time, with her mouth still open a little so her big teeth showed.

"You lak ta make stuff complex, don't ya?" Rouge knew she'd stepped over the line. Oh well. That was Minx's problem now.

"Yeah, it's more fun that way."  
Alex laughed a little, deep throat, real kind of laugh. _Hahahahah—_.

"Glad ta have ya back, Rougie."

"Hey, Alex?"

"Yah?"

"Thanks for this coat."

* * *

**Alex and Rougie, sittin' a tree! K-I-S-S-I-N-G!**

**And also, that coat that was Rouge's was Alex's turned Rouge's, but was actually Alex's but is now Rouge's because......**

**You get the point. Happy HolidayZ!  
**


End file.
